


Voodoo Child

by Mace_fluff_button



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Drug Addiction, Drug Withdrawal, Dysfunctional Relationships, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Manipulation, Empath, Empathy, F/F, Ghosts, Harry Potter References, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Minor Violence, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Romance, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 02:03:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 52,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21291827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mace_fluff_button/pseuds/Mace_fluff_button
Summary: ~went through and edited this work, so hopefully it's an easier read now~ ~this work is completed~Klaus is a washed up child celebrity. Once the most talented medium in the world, he now lives his life scraping by on pocket change and hand outs from his foster sister, all the while struggling with drug addiction and the guilt of not being strong enough to give his dead brother a more corpale exsistance, that only he, at peak soberity could offer him. It's not till a bad encounter with a cocky, self intilted internet celebrity has Klaus finally striving for soberity, if only to get back at the smug bastard for the trouble and humiliation he caused he and his sister.  When his new ambitions lead him to romance and subsequent heartbreak, will it be enough to drive Klaus back to his old and dangerous habits? And is his quest for revenge worth the cost of his life? What colors does Dave see when Klaus lays on the asphalt, motionless?
Relationships: Dave (Umbrella Academy) & Original Male Character(s), Dave/Klaus Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 76





	1. Dead people don't get opinions.

**Author's Note:**

> Very first work for this fandome. Dave and Klaus are hands down my favorite TV couple of 2019, even though we only got like half an episodes worth of them being together, but I'm really looking forward to what we might get in the second season. I already have a shit ton of unfinshed and forgotten prompts piled up in my notes app, so this isn't even my first fic I have for this ship, but it is an idea I had floating around for a while and I really want to complete this one, I'm already a couple chapters ahead so I don't get behind(though I am revising the majority of it, so it matches the synopsis better) 
> 
> Anyway, I really hope there aren't too many errors and the like(I edit my own stuff the best I can) I like constructive criticism or just your own ideas you'd like to share, I don't got a lot of people in real life to talk about fandome stuff, lol.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kluas only wanted a nice evening with his sister and dead brother, but when a haughty internet star disrupts their family time things are only down hill from there.

Ch 1. Dead people don't get opinions.

It was just as muggy and dreary of a day as any other in New York City, overcast with a thick fog of condensation and air pollution, Klaus was just barely coming down enough to actually appreciate the weather. 

"It's such a shitty day." Ben walked idly beside him, his hands stuffed into his hoodie pockets with his hood pulled over his head and obscuring his face. Klaus rolled his eyes, scoffing as he pulled open the door to his favorite cafe. A hole in the wall that was surprisingly popular for how close it was to the dingier part of town.

"It's a beautiful day Benny boy and by the way, no one can see you, so the broody theatrics you got going on there, is really all for naught." 

The bell jingled, announcing his entrance as he sashayed in like he owned the place; his skirt swishing and the warm air of the shop hitting his frigid skin magnificently. It wasn't large, but definitely cozy, with it's lounge area and soft orange lights. Classical music played softly overhead, Klaus breathed out a dreamy sigh, he was always so much more relaxed in here than anywhere else. 

"Klaus! How many times do I have to tell you to wear a shirt when you come into my shop?!" Vanya was whipping her hands off with a dish rag as she emerged from behind the front counter, her face marred in an annoyed grimace. 

Klaus spread his arms out, "I am wearing a shirt, and that is no way to treat a paying customer, now fetch me a cappuccino with whip and an apple tart on the side." 

Vanya launched the wet rag at his face, earning a surprised yelp from her foster brother "Again Klaus, a shirt means I CAN'T see you're nipples through it and you better be telling the truth about being a paying customer, I'm not giving you anymore freebies, I mean it this time." 

Klaus sat himself down at a tall stool table near the counter, "I got money, I swear, cross my liver and FYI, sheer is all the rage this season. Vouge calls it sexy and mysterious and that's so me, right?" 

"More like sickly and infectious." 

Klaus snapped his head to the chair across from him,"Shut up Ben, dead people don't get opinions." 

Vanya popped back behind the counter, grabbing the rag out of Klaus' hand as she went. "What did Ben say?" 

He huffed dramatically, laying head against the table,"Nothing outside of his usual mean Spiritedness, pun fully intended. He's always so mean to me Vanya, you'd be appalled by his behavior." 

"I mean, being stuck with you for the last thirteen odd years, I wouldn't blame him for getting a little grumpy." Vanya moved to the machines where she began frothing the milk for his cappuccino, the hiss and squeal of it signaling the momentary end to their conversation. 

He picked his head up, slumping his chin into the palm of his hand, gazing at Ben forlornly. "I don't make you grumpy, do I?" 

Ben shook his head, "no, but you do aggravate me on a regular basis." 

"Yeah, well you, you make me gassy so there." He stuck his tongue out to which Ben rolled his eyes at. Just as he was about to tell Ben off further, a group walked through the door. 

Three girls and two men, one of whom caught his eyes in particular, tall, muscular, Sandy brown hair and a jawline sharper than klaus' eyeliner. It was too bad that the man had some Draco Malfoy wannabe attached to his bicep. The guy was slender, a few heads shorter than his companion and decked out in some neo goth get up, with high waisted black palazzo pants, a white collared button down under a black cardigan and leather riding gloves on his hands. 

They walked closer and Klaus could hear the girls giggling.

"Oh my God, that guy was talking to himself." One said to the other two, not even bothering to pretend to whisper. 

The handsome man of the group frowned at the comments, shooting an apologetic look his way as they passed by. Klaus sent him a wink in return, feeling proud at the flush of red blooming in the man's cheeks. 

"Audrey, don't be a bitch, some people are mentally ill and misfortunate, it's not our job to point it out so brazenly." Draco 2.0 piped up, far louder then apparently Audrey was, completely contradicting his statement. 

Now Klaus could have let it slide, been a bigger person and ignored the dumbass remarks made at his expense, but Hogwarts reject over there was rubbing him the wrong way and Klaus has been rubbed many ways in many different places, so that was saying something. 

"Klaus, don't" Ben hissed at the same time Vanay came over to his table with his drink and pastry. 

"Klaus, just let it go, the dudes a jerk, but he's also some kind of a celebrity, so I don't recommend you start anything with him." She set his order down, a calming hand settling over his shoulder. He grit his teeth and looked up to see Ben extending a hand of his own for Klaus to hold. He couldn't, Ben wasn't corpal enough for that, hadn't been for years and they both knew it; so the sentiment was all that much more meaningful. Breathing deep, he let out a slow breath, gradually releasing the anger he had been holding onto and humbling himself with the knowledge, that no matter who you were, or where you went, there would be bullies. Useless people looking to get you down and feeding into them was always a losing battle. It sucked, but Klaus had his family with him, no matter how much they bickered and fought, they were there for eachother. That was all he needed. 

"I used to be famous too." He grumbled out, changing the conversation. 

Vanya rolled her eyes, then pulled up a chair to sit between him and Ben.   
"We all were Klaus, but that was years ago." 

"Now you're old and washed up." 

Klaus gasped, "Hay now, I just barely turned thirty, I'm well into my prime." 

Vanya looked at him in amusement, "did he just call us old?" 

He nodded, "and washed up. See, this is the kind of attitude I live with. Honestly, i'm starting to miss Gary the Vietnam vet from last year, he at least had good stories." 

He, Vanya and Ben chatted amiably, none the wiser to the group of people a few tables away, avidly watching them. 

____________________

"Preston, Adury, Kelly, Kelly-Ann come on guys, they're gonna catch you staring. you're being incredibly rude." He tried to get them to turn back around in their seats, but they just sat there like vultures, zeroing in on the two people at the front of the cafe. 

"Dave, chill the fuck out, we're just curious." Kelly stage whispered. He groaned and sunk back in his seat, burying his face in his hands. 

"Hmm, you know. I'm starting to think that man isn't crazy at all!" Preston abruptly stood up, his chair hitting the floor with a clang as he announced this to the entire cafe. Everyone's attention was instantly on him, including the man and barista at the front. Dave cursed his height and bulk for not allowing him to shrink any further back into his own chair. Honestly, if a sinkhole opened up right underneath him and swallowed him down, Dave would thank God for answering his prayers. 

"You're speaking to a spirit aren't you?" Preston declared as he slowly strutted over to the pair, everyone watching in rapt attention as the scene unfolded. The man in question sat statue still, his eyes wide and looking increasingly uncomfortable as Preston came closer. 

"I can sense a presence sitting in that chair right there," he pointed to the single empty chair at the table. The barista covered her face and shook her head, looking equally mortified as the man next to her. 

"What are you, some kind of psychic or something?" The man finally asked, sounding more sarcastic than not. In an instant, Audry and the Kellies were out of their seats and crowding the table. 

"How do you NOT know who he is?" 

"He's not JUST a psychic!" 

"He's the most talented medium in the world, he's done readings and channelings for hundreds of celebrities!" 

The man and women looked rightfully panicked and that was where Dave drew the line, he got up and made to reign the girls in. 

"Guys, get out of their face, you're scaring them." He growled, stationing himself between the table and the girls. They quickly got the point moved back a few steps, looking the tiniest bit ashamed as they did. He didn't assert himself like this often, there were very few things to cause Dave to ever use his bulk and mass to his advantage, which made it all the more effective when he did

"He's right guys, these people probably don't have Internet, let alone a TV. It's not their fault they don't recognize me." Preston smoothed his hair out, his gloves squeaking against the numerous products coating his platinum blond locks. 

"I know how the internet works and I watch TV with Vanya every Saturday, we watch Ru Paul's drag race." The man piped up, still sitting in his seat and looking increasingly irritated with Preston. Dave couldn't blame him, his boyfriend was a nice guy when you got to know him, but nine times out of ten, upon first meeting he was a bit much. 

Preston didn't react to the man's comments on his digital media capabilities and instead pulled off his sunglasses, folding them up slowly and tucking them into their leather case  
"Yes, I can see much better now, it's a male, young, must have died late teens, rather suddenly and gruesomely I might add." 

The atmosphere in the room quickly shifted, a sadness thick enough to taste resonating from the table behind him. His stomach ached and the hairs at the back of his neck stood on end. He turned around to see the man and women with matching faces of grief. It was a strong aura surrounding them, melding into each other and steadily growing. He knew without a doubt that Preston had crossed a line with these people and he needed to back off. 

"Prest-" 

"What's his name?" The man stood up from his chair just as Dave was about to warn Preston off. Sadness still stained his aura, but it was quickly being flooded over by yellows and oranges. 

Preston quirked an eyebrow, "I know your name is Klaus Hargeeves and the woman next to you is your sister Vanya Hargeeves." 

The man, Klaus, froze, his eyes going comically wide with a shocked hand hovering over his mouth "Oh. my. God, how did you know that?"- he asked, sounding genuinely impressed. 

Preston smirked, "like I said, I'm a world renowned medium, I commune with the spirits of the dead, they tell me everything I need to know."

The shop was eerily quiet as Preston's words sunk in, Dave always got goosebumps when Preston commanded a room like he did now. The feeling of awe though, was quickly shook out of him when a loud, inelegant snort erupted from Klaus Hargeeves. The man standing up straighter, his arms crossing and causing the hem of his see through blouse to ride up. The sliver of pale exposed skin catching his eye. He flushed, having caught himself staring and immediately forced his gaze elsewhere, hoping no one noticed. 

"Did he now?" Klaus asked, far too dramatically and drawn out to be taken as anything but sarcasm. He turned around to the empty chair beside Vanay, who was clearly trying to hide a smile behind her palm. "Hay spirit, how come you can tell him our names, but not your own?" 

"I didn't tell him anything to begin with." Ben huffed out, amused by the turn of events.

Klaus looked back to Preston, hands on his hips and a manic grin splitting his face. "Spirit says he didn't tell you shit?" 

Dave had to hold himself back from smiling along with Klaus, especially when he saw Preston going visibly red in the face. He had never seen someone put him in his place so quickly and flawlessly. He didn't particularly take pleasure in his boyfriend's embarrassment, but sometimes he got a little big for his breaches and Dave was never one to use those kinds of tactics to bring him back down to earth. Didn't hurt to witness someone else do it though. 

"The spirit obviously doesn't remember his name, but he definitely knew yours." Preston shook his head, like this was a given. It wasn't. 

"Or YOU knew our names, cause YOU and YOUR friends were eavesdropping on me and my sister's conversation the entire time." Klaus grit out, charging the air around him with reds and violets.

"Ben is sitting right there, he saw you guys looking at us the whole time." Klaus pointed to the chair, his temper rising and Dave could swear he saw a minute flicker of a man's silhouette sitting on the chair, but it was gone just as soon as it was there. 

Looking over to his boyfriend, he could see Preston was tense with his face screwed up in the way it usually was when he was at his angriest. Dave felt his chest tighten, cause he knew what that face meant and had been on the receiving end of it one occasion too many. Preston was mad and he was going to hit you where it hurt. 

"At least I'm not some junkie has been. How many times have you been to rehab? Tabloids can't even keep up with the count by now. How pathetic is that? You were an icon for the occultist community and now you're nothing but a disappointment." Preston folded his arms, the girls flanking him in a similar stance. 

"Preston!" He shouted, seeing the moment that Klaus' aura drained into deep shades of blue and purple. His eyes prickled with tears, feeling the years and years of hurt that Preston had just dug out from the Hargreeves siblings. He looked at him, his boyfriend's overly cocky demeanor cracking the smallest bit, before being quickly masked over once more. He could never really see Preston's aura, just the constant gray smoke that followed him around.

"And by the way, I was lying, there is no spirit, if there were I would of course have known it's name. You were just that much of a whack job to actually follow along cause you really think somethings there. You and your family were all hoaxes, but I'm the real deal. I just wanted to make sure everyone here knew that as well." His claims were inconsistent, but his confidence was enough to convince ninety seven percent of that room, everyone else seeing his bullshit for what it was. 

Just as the last of Preston's tangent was out of his mouth, Vanya silently got down from her chair, small and mousey as she was, she stood directly in front of Preston, her voice loud and steady as she met his eyes dead on. "You have no idea what me and my family have been through, you have no right to speak about us, let alone to our faces. You might be some hot shot reality YouTube star, but you're still a customer in my shop and a guest on my property, so get the hell out!" 

Adury and the Kellies stepped out, forming a wall in front of Preston, their phones in their hands and no doubt recording, 

"Are you serious? We didn't even do anything!" Kelly whined, followed by Kelley Ann's screech of ,"You guys started this and now you want to be all triggered when we fight back?!" 

Audry flipped her hair, "Yeah, you're like a fucking phyco for going off on us for no reason at all." 

Dave could see a blood vessel strain on Vanya's neck, her face red and terrifying as her eyes seemingly whited out. An invisible force pushed them back, the onlookers in the store being shoved inches away on their feet with them. Dave squinted, but couldn't see a discernible aura around her anymore, just a white halo outlining her body. His stomach squirmed, he'd honestly never seen anything like it before. 

"LEAVE MY SHOP! YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE BANNED FOR LIFE!" 

No one moved a muscle as they all stood there in shock and fear, Vanya huffing with her rage, or maybe it was just the amount of energy she was using to hold back another telekinetic outburst. Dave found the latter to be not only the scariest, but the most likely of the two. 

"Why are you still here?" They all jumped at the whispered question, snarled out between her clenched teeth. Every aura in the room spiked with anxiety. 

"I SAID GET OUUUUUT!" A gust of wind slapped them in the face, dishes clanged and chairs toppled over. The shop shattered into chaos, everyone speeding out of the door in a frenzy. Dave himself was quick into action, scooping Preston up into a fireman's carry over his shoulder, the girls following not too far behind them, their phones still out and recording the whole scene as they jogged out.


	2. Baths and Boo boo's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus makes it home after the whole cafe ordeal, hoping for it to be just a one off incident, he's rudely awakened to the reality that things are turning out to be more serious then first expected. Can Klaus stay sober long enough to support Vanya through this snowballing situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter, I might retitle it if I come up with anything better, but this is what I had on the document so I'm just gonna leave it. Still reworking a lot of the story, so my writing style is going to change a bit after this chapter, or at least the tone. It was supposed to be in the typical romcom formula, but I got a bit into it and now it's more of a romantic drama, but I might do a more light hearted epilouge. I'll also be trying to keep my updates to every Sunday. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Ch2. Baths and boo boos. 

Klaus made it home, his shoe box of an apartment, New York, home. He trudged through his front door, feeling worn out and surprisingly emotional. He had not been expecting a morning with his sister to turn into such a shit show. He stayed with her after all the chaos of course, calming her down, then talking about the insanity of the day's events. She was still shaken up by the time he left, but after kissing her forehead and promising to check in with her the next morning, he trusted she would be alright for the night.

"God I hate celebrities!" He threw his clothes off and sunk down into the hot bath he very much needed and deserved, lavender candles lit and a fresh joint between his fingers. Weed was the weakest of the many, many drugs he used to stave off the ghosts; it muffled their groans and wails, and just barely blurred their ugly faces, but it was all he had for the night, so he planned to savour it.

Ben looked up from his book, his fuzzy figure sat weightlessly over the bathroom sink. "You just bragged about being a celebrity this morning." 

Klaus took a drag from his joint, sighing out a billow of smoke on exhale. "I hated myself then, still do now, nothings new under the moon Benny boo. " 

Ben put his book down, the object seemingly disappearing at his will. "You worry me." Was all he said. 

Klaus hummed,"Is that why you never leave me alone?" 

Ben hopped down and came to crouch beside the bathtub, his face eye level with Klaus, who smiled lazily back at him.

"It's one of the reasons from a long list of many others." He reached a hand out, to maybe brush the droplets off from his brother's forehead, or to even touch the bath water itself, just to touch anything at all, but his hand phased through it, just like everything else. The only items he could actually grasp were the ones he had on him the day he died. 

Klaus watched the familiar disappointment and resignation settle over Ben's face. His heart hurt every time he witnessed it. He swallowed against the knot forming in his throat. "Ben, I'm sorry-"- he started, but Ben shook his head, cutting him off with just a look, "It's fine Klaus, you didn't ask for these powers." 

He took another drag from his joint before setting it down, his eyes and sinuses burning with emotion. "You didn't ask to be a ghost either." 

Ben huffed humorlessly, "but I am." 

Klaus smirked and leaned further back in the tub, the water just barely meeting his ears, his joint laying forgotten as he watched the slowly forming figures of a decapitated Victorian era couple, hovering above him. "We didn't ask for any of it, but that's just what we got." 

Ben nodded along, his gaze following Klaus' up to the ceiling, he slowly stretched himself out onto the floor next to the tub, watching the twitching, headless apparitions hanging in the air. "At least they're quite."- he offered. 

"Small mercies Ben, small mercies." Klaus softly amended, before completely submerging himself into the water. 

_______________

"Klaus!" 

He groaned, rolling to his side and pulling a pillow over his head. 

"Klaus!"

He rolled over a second time, flinging the pillow in the direction of whatever it was disturbing his sleep.

"Im not fucking corpal, dumbass! Now answer your phone!" 

He forced his eyelids open, feeling more than hearing the vibrations of his phone under his thigh. "Well that explains the particularly pleasant dream I was having." 

"Gross." Ben cringed, 

Ignoring his brother, Klaus swiped the answer icon, "Hello?" 

"Klaus, they're shutting my shop down! We're all over the news, I'm being sued, I'm tending on twitter and I can't fucking breath!" Vanya scream cried down the line, she was heaving through the phone, her voice raw from violent sobs and the panic attack she was clearly and currently in.

Fully awake now, he jumped out of bed and frantically searched for clothes, pulling and flinging items out of the way till he found something mostly clean, all the while trying to coach his sister through the phone,"Vanya, breath. Remember the four count? Just keep doing that, count them out, you got this." 

Klaus threw on the first passable thing he found and bolted out the door. His phone pressed to his ear as he jogged down the sidewalk, "Vanya, I'm on my way to you now, we'll figure this out, I promise." 

Ben wasn't far behind as he made the fifteen minutes walk to Vanya's cafe in ten. The shop was dark when they finally got there, gritting his teeth he flung the door open and barealled right in. 

"Vanya!?" 

He heard a wet sob come from behind the front counter, he vaulted over it, landing just inches next to a crying, panicking Vanya. She turned to him, her eyes red and sore and his heart squeezed painfully at seeing her so distraught. He pulled her into a bone crushing hug, rocking back and forth to soothe them both.

After she finally winded down, Klaus held her at arm's length, "Tell me what happened." 

Vanya scooted a bit to give herself some space as she wiped her eyes and nose with the sleeve of her sweater. "I woke up to a loud banging on my shop door. I unlocked it and it was the police with a foreclosure warrant." -She sniffled, "I asked them what it was for and they said they had video proof of me demonstrating premeditated telekinetic attacks on my customers." Her hands shook as she rubbed her eyes again, "They interrogated me about it and I tried to explain that I lost control, but never harmed anyone, that I told everyone to leave and held back as best I could, but apparently that Preston guy and his friends suffered major to minor injuries." She ran a heavy frustrated hand through her hair,"and now they're suing me and closing my shop." 

Vanya broke down again, Klaus was fuming by now at all the unessicary hurt these people were causing her. He was there the whole time, he knows for a fact that they started it. They picked a fight with him and he put them in their damn place, but all the fallout was landing on vanya. It wasn't right, she didn't deserve that. The cafe was the one thing Vanya had wholy to herself, built it from the ground up and kept it running since. No one felt judged here, coffee was cheap but tasted just as good as higher end shops, if not better. Dress code was lenient and Vanya welcomed everyone, unless given fair reason not to, I.e. that asshole from yesterday. 

"I'm taking the medication again." It was barely a whisper, had Vanya not been right beside him he wouldn't have heard it, but he did and it gave him pause. His stomach churning with the implications. 

"Vanya, you don't have to, you can't let this destroy you, self medicating like that, it's not-" 

"It's what's right for the moment Klaus. I can't lose control again like I did yesterday. I'll have to be in court and prove I'm not guilty, let alone convince them to let me keep my shop. Besides, you're not one to talk." Vanya froze, the last comment slipping out of her mouth without her permission.

"Klaus, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" 

"No, I get it." He scrubbed a hand at his eyes, urging the burning behind them to dissipate. "I'm being a hypocrite, calling the pot a kettle and all that." 

Vanya grabbed his hand and gently pulled it away from his face, he didn't know if he looked nearly as glassy eyed as she did, but he must have looked similar, cause just like that, their positions were switched. His head laying against her shoulder as she combed through his hair, he wasn't crying, he was so damn close to it, but just couldn't bring himself to that point of emotion. Vanya still held him though, his six foot frame leaning against her five one stature. He honestly can't remember the last time someone comforted him like this, he forgot how good it felt. 

"It's okay Vanya, really, you weren't wrong and I'm not mad." 

She closed her eyes, a tear escaping from under her lashes,"It still wasn't right of me, it didn't need to be said but I still said it." 

Klaus bit the inside of his cheek, already hating how raw and worn down he's felt in recent time; all of it reminding him too much of his childhood. He wanted to get high, drink till he blacked out and he would, just not now. Now, he had to focus and tamp down on those urges, at least for Vanya, "Don't beat yourself up too much about it, it's a shitty situation that's going down, shitty things are going to be said and done while we figure this out, but I promise you, we will figure it out. You'll keep your cafe, that Preston guy is going to drop all the charges and you'll be the best cup of joe in town just like usual."

Vanya sighed, sounding far too defeated for how early in the battle they were, "How exactly are we going to do that?" 

He hummed, mulling it over in his head, then shifted his gaze over to Ben, who couldn't do a whole lot the entire time they were there. He sat huddled up on the floor across from them, his face weary and tearstained, he shrugged. 

"I....don't know." He breathed out, his conscience heavy for being clueless for once. 

They sat there in silence for the remainder of the morning, nestled together behind the counter, wracking their brains for any idea on how to turn this around, completely ignorant to the five individuals stood outside the shop, three of whom who had their faces smashed against the glass looking for any sign of life, while two outliers just stared on into the dark husk of the once lively cafe. 

"Serves them right, fucking pychos nearly killed us." Preston sneered, decked out in a neck brace and crutches with his left leg wrapped in a splint. The girls were also wearing similar gear on varying appendages. 

"Preston, this thing keeps itching me, can I take it off for like a minute?" Kelly Ann whined, her manicured nail wedging it's way between the nyalon brace and her wrist. 

"Kelly Ann, don't mess with it, you'll hurt yourself, you sprained your wrist, remember? It hurts!" Preston chided, slapping her hand away from the brace.

Kelly Ann rolled her eyes and silently went back to investigating the cafe. 

Dave couldn't help but shake his head at how ridiculous they were all being. It was insane that any of them legitimately thought they could fake their injuries for however long it took for the lawsuit to play out. He closed his eyes and breathed in a calming breath before looking back up at the building. His stomach sinking as he locked onto the deep blue auras raging like a fire from behind the cafe's front counter. 

"Preston, you really don't need to ruin these people's lives just cause you picked a fight you couldn't win." He settled a hand over his boyfriends shoulder, urging him to look and really understand what he was saying. Much like usual though, his urgency fell on deaf ears. 

Preston spun around on his crutches,"I WON that fight, Dave and you're damn right I'm going to ruin everything they have, look what they did me and the girls!" 

He rolled his eyes, feeling a headache coming on the longer he listened to the same tall tail that Preston had been spinning since late last night. "You guys aren't actually injured, no one got hurt yesterday-you know what, no, the only person hurt from this ordeal, is you Preston, you and your pride." 

Preston went silent, his face a stoney mask before it slowly began to crumble. His nose going red as tears poured from his face. "I know, I'm a lot okay..I know I get out of hand, but I was honestly scared Dave. You saw how strong she was, she sent us practically flying. I mean, you had to pick me up and carry me out, I was so frozen in fear. I, I just don't want that to happen to anyone else. What if you got hurt? I couldn't live with myself if anything really happened to you or one of the girls. This is all I can do Dave to be sure that doesn't happen." 

The girls were already at his side, their eyes shiney as they listened to their best friend cry out his worries and insecurities. Dave was no better, he didn't mean to get angry with Preston. He knew he meant well and it wasn't right of him to criticize his methods. He just didn't have a good feeling about the way things were happening and his feelings were almost always accurate, but seeing his boyfriend crying because of him, he couldn't help thinking he'd been a little too harsh. 

"Preston?" 

Preston shook his head, refusing to make eye contact between the girls hugging and comforting him. 

"Preston, I'm sorry." He tried again, but Preston just continued to cry into Audrey's shoulder. 

"Dave, you should go." she said, sounding more like a command then advise. He nodded all the same, knowing this particular spat was going to need some air. 

"I'll see you at home Preston, I'll make it up to you, I promise." He didn't wait for an answer as he walked off to who knows where, his mind busy with possible ideas for a grand romantic gesture worthy of Preston's forgiveness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda just realized I forgot to include Klaus' hand tattoos, it's such a singature part of his character and design, that my brain just automatically filled it in as I've been writing this.


	3. It's only romantic if the spooks agree.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave takes a trip into town following the disagreement between he and Preston, gradually becoming more and more disheartened at the static silence from both his boyfriend and friends when a run in with Klaus Hargeeves, suffering the beginnings of drug withdrawal, but still on the hunt for a fix, not only distracts him, but leaves him questioning his loyalty to Preston.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter, Dave and Klaus are fairly slow build(sould probably put that in the tags) but I liked the dialogue from the first draft of this chapter too much to not use it, so I did my best to splice them together, so Dave and Klaus pretty much have this whole chapter to themselves and the first half of the fourth, so it's definitely going to be picking up from here.

Ch 3. It's only romantic if the spooks agree.

"So, shit's hit the fan." 

Klaus scoffed as he and Ben walked side by side down the street. "I'd say a whole lawn of manure has been flung into the proverbial fan." 

"What are we going to do?" 

Klaus shrugged, "nothing now, I'm getting high and dealing with it tomorrow, just like Vanya." 

He turned a corner down a familiar alleyway, hoping to find a dealer loitering about with a quick fix. 

"Klaus, come on, you don't need drugs! It's 2:00 pm for Christ's sake!!" Ben groused, but Klaus wasn't listening and just kept walking. 

"No one's even here Klaus, who's going to do a drug deal in broad daylight?" 

He came to a stop at the end of the alyway, Ben was right, this spot didn't get much action till post five pm. 

"Told you." 

Turning around, he rolled his eyes at Ben's smug grin then massaged his temples, already feeling the beginnings of withdrawal jitters as well as the steadily growing volume of the allyway's tormented long term residents, groaning into his ears. 

"Klauuuuuuus, I neeeeeed a fix!" Emancipated and bleeding from every orifice, moaned. 

"Klaaaaaauuuuuus, heeeeeelp meeee!" Bloated and oozing grey matter, screeched.

"Doooooon't do druuuuuugs!" Sliced in fourths, -huh how did that happen?-wailed.

"Weed! Can I at least have weed?!" He begged, yelling over the damned cry's of junkies past that only seemed to be getting closer and closer to him. 

"Yes, but you're getting it from the local dispensary, the stuff on the street always ends up being laced." 

Klaus wanted to protest, but then a cold veiny hand wrapped around his wrist, sending clammy goosebumps over every inch of his skin. He shook his hand out of its vice and speed walked out of the ally. "Fine, let's go!" 

_______________________

Dave came to rest at a park bench, leaning back into it and sighing as he checked his phone; it's just nearly three pm and the day already feels over. He stares at it a little longer, eyebrows crinkling at the lack of messages from his boyfriend. He left them hours ago and texted a few times just to check up on everyone, but he still hasn't gotten a single response. He's contemplating trying again, maybe even calling, but a little tug in the pit of his stomach tells him it won't be worth it.

He feels his anxiety spike as soon as his acknowledgement of the tug only pulls it tighter. It felt like a giant rubber band inside of him waiting to snap. He breaths a slow breath, knowing things weren't going to work out as optimistically as he had hoped. Getting up, he resigned to continue his quest regardless of the warnings his intuition was screaming at him.

__________________________

"Just for today!" 

Ben trails along beside, "The rest of the week." 

He groans, "Three days!" 

"Klaus, Vanya is going to need us. we don't even know the extent this celebrity guy is willing to go to destroy you and her in the process!" 

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, not paying any mind to the odd looks he was getting or where he even was at the moment. 

"Ben, I'm beyond repair, he can't ruin me anymore then I've already ruined myself." 

"I don't think you're beyond repair." Came a small, sincere voice behind him, startling Klaus about a foot into the air. He turned around and his pulse ticked just a beat faster. Tall, definitely strong and so, so handsome, stood there awkwardly across from him. His face was open and hopeful in front of Klaus, who looked just as perplexed as he felt. 

"Uh, come again?" He asked, his skin feeling tighter by the minute, making him scratch and rub at it absentmindedly. 

The man flushed, his eyes making a quick up and down scan of Klaus' body, as if he didn't know where to look, then catching himself and meeting his eyes."I, I said I don't think you're beyond repair. I believe everyone has time for growth and redemption." 

Klaus squinted sceptically, ignoring the overt way the guy had been looking at him, and jutted a hip out as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, do you now?" 

He nodded, "I do." 

Klaus pursed his lips, switching his hands to rest on his hips before crossing them over his chest again."Then why are you and your friends suing my sister and closing her business over a fight YOU started. Does she get any redemption, Mr optimist?" 

The man paused, his eyes following the erratic motions of Klaus' flailing limbs and tapping foot.

"You might be indecently handsome and kind of a lot my type, but you're just a hypocrite like that stuck up phony medium you hang out with." Klaus admonished, his hands moving again, fidgeting about, ringing and scratching themselves.  
________

Dave grimaced, not only at the clear signs of withdrawl that Klaus was suffering in front of him, but the severity of his accusations as well. He knew the situation wasn't great, least of all for the Hargreeves, but he couldn't just stand there and let his boyfriend be bad mouthed like that. "Hay, I'm no hypocrite and neither is Preston. Now I know my boyfriend can be a little eccentric in his ways, but that doesn't make him a phony, he's the realest medium i'v ever met and need I remind you, it was your sister who attacked us." 

Klaus huffed, rolling his eyes and turning to Ben with a very 'get a load of this guy, look, "Eccentric? Not sure where you're from buddy, but here in New York, we call that being an asshole. Also, my sister didn't even attack you, she was holding back and shoved some people an inch or two, big whoop. Believe me, if she really wanted to hurt you, well, you'd be hurt, but as I can see with my two 20-20 and sadly sober eyes that you look just fine to me." 

Dave felt his stomach swoop at the wink Klaus gave at that, reminding him of yesterday. He originally wanted to offer his support and some uplifting words after hearing him speak so badly, yet so casually about himself. His empathy luring him even closer to the man at the quality of his aura, swirling in deep blues and purples, but now, he just wanted to hurry up and find that damn flower shop, cause Klaus was lagitmently berating and flirting with him all in the same breath. 

"Well, whatever it is you want to call it, it don't matter to me, cause Ben and I are going to get super fucking high and brain storm our pants off. We're gonna counter sue you and show the world what a sham you and what's his face are." Klaus smirked, looking incredibly proud of his apparent declaration of war.

Dave not really sure what to do, nor wishing his interaction with Klaus to end, "I, uh...you shouldn't do drugs." had tumbled out of his mouth, causing Klaus to raise his eyebrows at him. 

"Oh gee, really? Man if only someone told me sooner." He snarked, his face grinning and his eyes crinkled in mirth, looking more amused than annoyed, which surprised him. 

The first time he met Preston, he told him it was bad to smoke, mistaking him for a high schooler instead of the 22 year old he had been at the time. Preston had rolled his eyes with a groan and flicked the nearly finished cigarette onto his sneakers, then proceeded to light another. Dave had been too nice to fight back, but even so, it led to them dating for the next five years. 

"I, I mean It's just- relative knowledg-" he was fumbling, never having felt this dumbfounded for a man before, not even Preston could get him so tongue tied. Thankfully, Klaus noticed and came to his rescue. 

"Don't strain yourself, I know what you mean. I've had the exact same lecture on drugs and addiction more times than I've been to rehab. I've got her down verbatim by now and nothings changed yet." 

Klaus still looked and sounded indifferent, but Dave felt the deep empty hopelessness that reared up inside of him. The worst part though, the emotion that really shook him in a way he hadn't been in a while, was the nearly stone solid resignation that followed after everything else. 

He stood there, silent for a moment, shifting through the lonely, sad, lost, hopeless, apathey, radiating from Klaus and into his own psyche. His eyes stung and welled up, his throat constricting so tightly it was physically painful. He tried to hold it back a little longer, before finally just letting go. 

"Oh my gosh, are you crying?" Klaus was quickly at his side, looking at him in bewilderment and concern. Dave just breathed and let the tears fall. He had no other choice but to. He had tried to compartmentalize and recycle the emotions, but they were too much all at once, he just had to release them now. 

"Why are you crying? Did I say something too mean? I was mostly not being serious, half the time I never know what I'm saying till after I say it and even then I might forget." Klaus rambled, hovering over him like a six foot tall gittery bee. 

"No, I'm fine, it's just a thing I have, I can't always control it." He chuckled out, already feeling better with the majority of the sadness easing away, he wondered if Klaus was too. Looking back at him, he saw his aura fading to a lighter and lighter blue, with spots of pink bleeding in from certian points. His eyes widened, he hadn't seen that color directed at him in a long time. 

"You, you okay now?" Klaus asked, his eyebrows drawn together in worry. 

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." He stuttered, looking away from the rapidly changing colors that radiated over him. Klaus was definitely the most emotionally diverse person he's met and he wasn't sure if that was just Klaus, or a symptom of his drug habits. 

"I don't know," Klaus said, rubbing the back of his neck, looking pensive as watched him dab at his eyes with a hankerchife, "I still feel kinda bad for making you cry, uh, I was on my way to get some weed, I don't have a lot, but uh, if you wanted to get a drink or something, I don't mind spending some of what I have to treat you." 

His heart skipped a beat, he should probably say no, Preston would blow a gasket if he found out, but it was a friendly offer and he couldn't just turn him down, not with how sheepish he looked just asking Dave to share a few drinks. It was honestly kind of cute, he hated that he thought so, it felt a step too close to infidelity. He closed his eyes and breathed in, opening them to see Klaus still stood there, in a knee length leather skirt and a loud purple tank top with mismatched flip flops to top it off. He just wasn't decent enough to be out in some cheap bar, he told himself; he was asking for trouble and it wasn't Dave's responsibility to look after him. He got caught off guard with his empathy leading the way like it always did, but he tried and this was where the venture ended.

"It's just a cup of coffee, honestly, I know a place close by from the dispensary I was heading to and it's almost as good as Vanya's, so you know it's got my stamp of approval. Besides, I could really use any upper I can get at this point." Dave swallowed around the nervous lump in his throat, his mind fighting back and forth with what to say. 

"That sounds lovely, but, I uh, I was needing to find a florist, to, to buy a boquete for Preston." It was supposed to be a round about rejection, but he didn't sound very convincing even to his own ears. Klaus grinned and Dave was starting to like the way he smiled, he wanted to photograph it. 

"Oh, don't you worry, I know a great place to get all kinds of flowers, for cheap too. Let me buy you a cup of coffee and I'll take you there." Klaus came around and clapped him on the back, his arm settling over his shoulder as he steered him in the direction of a place he called his childhood refuge, talking about how it inspired Vanya to open up her own shop, the whole way there.

Dave probably shouldn't be going with him, but it was sort of exciting to be going wherever on the drop of a dime with this strung out mess of a man. One with the greenest, green eyes he's ever seen and bouncy black curles he wanted to touch, all tied together with a smile as infectious as you would imagine. He flushed, quickly looking away and up ahead, silently telling himself that was probably all klaus had going for him. He might have a horrible sense of humor, or treat waiting staff like shit, or chew with his mouth open, or even be antisemetic. All deal breakers and Klaus could have anyone of them. He hoped he did, but a bigger part of him secretly hoped he didn't. 

__________________

They came to a retro styled diner. Klaus led him to a booth where he plopped down with a dramatic sigh, "Agnes, you'll never guess the kind of week I've had." 

Dave sat down across from him, his lips pulling up in an amused smirk, just as a little elderly woman in a baby pink uniform came shuffling out from the back counter. Her eyes kind and her aura a relaxed pale yellow, completely solid. He realized it was her natural aura, her natural state, no emotions staining them. Dave didn't see that often.

"Oh, I can guess. You and your sister are on the YouTube. My nephew showed me the video when it hit 50,000 views." She stated, before pulling out her notepad and pen. "Now what can I get for you boys?" 

Klaus groaned and buried his head in his arms, "two coffees please, we might order donuts later, but I'm really needing the caffeine at the moment." 

Dave felt the floor drop out from under him, he knew the girls were filming at the time, he just didn't know they posted it to YouTube, or maybe it was twitter, or even Instagram. Whichever it was, he just hoped it wasn't one of Preston's main accounts, he knew first hand how bad his fans could get. 

Agnes's pen clicked and she was making her way back to the coffee machines. Klaus stretching towards her from the booth, "You're a goddess Agnes, a beautiful, wonderful, pink Angle, Coffee making goddess." 

Agnes visibly blushed, her head shaking with a big smile on her face, "Don't let Hazel hear you say that." 

Klaus scoffed,"What? That big teddy bear doesn't scare me. You just gotta give em a little belly rub and some treats, then he's as docile as a-" 

The bell over the door jingled and a tall, heavy set man in a suit with a neatly trimmed beard strode in, "Are you guys talking about me?" He asked, his tone soft and light hearted. 

Agnes came back around with a tray of hot coffees, stopping in front of the man for a kiss that he happily bent down to give her. "We were just discussing how sweet you were to buy me those shoes I was talking about last month." 

Klaus gasped and bounces excitedly in his seat, "He did!? Let me see, let me see!" 

Agnes came over and set their coffees down, then took a step out and extended her leg, showing off a pair of sparkly pastel pink sneakers. She stomped her foot and the bottoms lit up in flashing pink and white lights.

Klaus stared at them wide eyed and overjoyed, "Agnes, I don't know how you did it, but you found a shoe that encapsulates the very essence of who you are, and they're breathtaking." 

Agnes smiled as Hazel came over to hug her from behind, pressing another kiss to the top of her head. 

"You boys enjoy your date, were gonna, gonna go talk about donuts in the, the break room." Agnes broke out in a squeal of giggles when Hazel picked her up like a princess and walked off towards said break room. Dave was stunned for a moment, his face hot with the excitement and childish joy Agnes and Hazel were feeding into each other, it was dizzying. A soft sigh pulled his focus back to Klaus, who was staring at their reatreating forms with somber eyes, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. 

"Old people love is the cutest." He said, sounding so far off, like he was lost in the daydream playing out in his own head. Dave could feel his emotions and see them painted out in his aura, pale green longing with hints of indigo, but he couldn't actually read his mind, but in that moment, Dave very much wanted a peek inside at whatever scenario was putting that expression on Klaus' face. 

Just like a switch being flipped, it was gone. Leaving Dave sputtering on the whiplash it gave him, the greens and the indigoes were bleeding out and replaced by orange and yellow. "So, you know my name, am I ever going to get your's" 

"Oh, right, I'm Dave, Dave Katz." He said, holding his hand out for Klaus to shake, all the while internally beating himself up for not having introduced himself sooner. 

Klaus turned back into the booth, shaking his hand, he noticed Klaus' nails were painted black. He always liked painting his sister's nails, it was one of the few things they bonded over before they moved out for college. 

"Well Dave, I wish I could say it's nice to meet you, but our actual first meeting was pretty shitty." 

Dave chuckled, agreeing easily with the sentiment and from there, their time in the diner flew by. They talked about topics ranging from the weather to religion, Klaus was agnostic, Dave proudly stated he was a reform Jew and very much active in his religion. Dave didn't like how nervous that made him to tell Klaus, but his nerves were quickly settled when he nodded his head excitedly and immediately dived into a story about the time he woke up half naked in front of a synagogue. Before he knew it, the sun was starting to set. He glanced out the window, then down at his phone. Still no messages, it was almost five pm and he hadn't even gotten the flowers yet.

"Uh, Klaus, I had a great time talking with you, but I'm needing to go." He slowly stood up, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. 

Klaus shot a hand out to stop him. "Hay, I got it, it's really not a problem, I have just enough, plus Agnes gives me a nice discount since she's known me and my siblings since we were kids." 

He hesitantly put his wallet back, feeling completely out of sorts for not paying for their dat-day at the diner, especially something as small as two coffee's and a few donuts. 

"Are you sure, I really don't mind?" 

"Neither do I." Klaus interjected, a playful smirk spreading across his face. Dave didn't need to see the violets and pinks of Klaus' aura to know where he was steering this interaction, what he had been doing subtly and not so subtly since they started talking in the middle of the sidewalk, actually. Even so, he had the strongest urge to play along, to get a rile out of Klaus just like he was trying to do with him, but he knew better. Knew he'd already crossed some lines just agreeing to come here with him, it wasn't right, least of all to Preston.

"Klaus', thank you for the coffee and donuts, and the company, I had a good time, but please stop flirting with me." He was firm in his rejection of Klaus' advances and just bearly held himself from wincing at the sharp pang of hurt coming from him, but it quickly dulled to a hallow acceptance. 

Klaus' smirk fell, he sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face,"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't have been doing that, I'm not exactly right in the head all the time-shut up ben- and it was wrong of me to have been testing my boundaries with you like that, but if it's any consolation, I really did feel bad for making you cry and this really wasn't some ploy to trick you into a date, I swear." 

He froze, his plans to double down on Klaus quickly dying on his tongue as his brain short circuited to find the appropriate response, then settling on a quick escape instead, "No, I uh, I know that and you're forgiven, I really have to go now." 

"Yeah, uh bye, I guess." He heard Klaus faintly say in the growing distance he put between them, walking briskly out of the shop and down the sidewalk, feeling like an idiot for bolting out like he was, but he just hadn't expecting such a genuine response. Klaus had made no excuses for himself, apologized and even knew what he was apologizing for. His heart was beating out of his chest the whole time he thought about it. Made him think he might be coming down with something, cause his stomach was a fluttery mess for the remainder of that night, his brain on a continuous loop of Klaus' apology, his laugh, his wild stories and.....Klaus, just Klaus. No matter how hard he tried to distract himself and remember his original plan of wooing Preston, a peace of his mind wandered back to him. 

"It doesn't mean anything, me and Preston are good, we love each other." Was his mantra for the entirety of the night and on wards, one he believed less and less until the rubber band finally snapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The hardest part was writing Dave's gay panic while he was super gay from the get go, it's more of a, "do I like someonrle who's not my asshole boyfriend?" Panic then an actual gay panic, but it's a bit of guilty pleasure of mine in fics, so i indulged. Also, Hazel and Agnes are the purest couple out of the whole show, I had to write them in somehow.


	4. Hell hath no fury.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave gets home in hopes of winning back Preston's favor, but things take a turn for the worst; frustrated, hurt and low on self esteem, Dave sets out to peruse Klaus Hargeeves in an effort to do the right thing. His venture leads him to a crime scene and then to Klaus. Revelations and not so knew doubts rise to the surface once more. Dave just wants to help the Hargeeves, while Klaus wants revenge, if only his body could hurry up and detox instead of hindering every step of the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little late, but that's cause it took me some time to edit and clean it up as best I could, plus I think it's the longest chapter so far. Also, in the last chapter I said it would be Dave and Klaus only in the first half, but turns out I was going off the direction of the story before I finished ch 3, so it's basically all Dave and Klaus from here on out. Doing my best to keep up the slow burn, but I'm being very self indulgent, so apologies if some parts look too tropey, unless you like that, then you're welcome. 
> 
> I'll update the tags, but I'll put some TW here too. This chapter will have dipictions of unhealthy relationships, i.e gaslighting, emotional manipulation, emotional abuse, as well as dipictions of rioting, mild dsicriptions of violence, blood, and seizures. Let me know if I left anything out.

Ch 4. Hell hath no fury. 

Later that night, Dave made it back to his and Preston's rented condo, his arms filled with a flower bouquet, a giant bat plushie and seven types of chocolate boxes. He rang the doorbell with the tip of his pinky finger and waited. Five minutes passed by and he rang it again. Another five minutes and Dave had to put the gifts down to fish out his keys. 

He walked in, dropping his collection of piece offerings onto the sofa then turned all the lights back on. No one was home. He went to their bedroom and saw the room in total disarray. His clothes strewn across the floor, picture frames tipped over and broken on the dresser and a single bed sheet with three pillows was all that was left of their bed. He blinked back tears and rubbed a hand over his face. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he pulled his phone out.

"What is it Dave?" 

He clenched his teeth and breathed in a slow breath,"Where are you?" 

The line was silent for a moment, Dave wanted to curl up in a ball and cry out his frustrations; plead with Preston to just come home so they could talk things out. Instead, he sat there quietly, his chest aching as he held it all in, cause he knew how much Preston hated it when he didn't. 

"You really hurt me Dave." Preston stated, sounding more matter the fact than hurt. 

Dave squeezed his eyes shut, quelling the emotion rising in his voice, "I know, I bought you flowers and chocolates and this big stuffed bat I saw at the mall to make up for it." 

Preston sighed, long and drawn out and dripping with exasperation,"Dave, gifts are nice, but you can't just buy my forgiveness, don't make me feel cheap like that." 

His jaw was hurting with how hard he was biting down on the angry outburst boiling in him. "I don't know how else I'm supposed to show you my remorse when you're never here to discuss things with me. Everytime we fight, you leave and trash our room!" 

"Don't raise your voice at me Dave! You were supposed to be on my side, does the last five years of our life mean nothing to you?" 

He flinched back at the venom in Preston's voice,"No, of course not! I would be more than happy to prove that to you, but you're not here! You're never here and I'm left alone to stew in my guilt and figure out how to make you talk to me again. You literally do this every time and everytime I'm scared that you're not going to come back." Dave combed a frustrated hand through his hair, he wished this hadn't of turned into an argument, but he couldn't keep cool, not while knowing how often this happened. 

"Are you crying?"

He bit back the sob clawing out his throat, sniffling loudly in response. He wasn't going to answer the question, Preston knew the answer already. 

"Honestly Dave, you're a grown man, you're not even the one who got barated and humiliated in front of his friends. You did that to me Dave and that's exactly why I'm not at the condo with you, so don't act like the victim here. Look, it's late, I'm going to bed Dave and don't call me for a while, cause I promise you, I won't answer. Have a nice night." The line cut off and Dave just sat there, freely crying for the second time in so many hours, but this time, he felt like the shittiest person alive, like a weak, pathetic man that cried at the drop of a hat and he knew that's exactly who he was. 

_______________________

"Ben, I don't feel so great." Klaus blinked grogerly up at his brother, trying to decipher which face was the real one. 

"I think I'm seeing double." He slurred out, frowning at the disappointed sigh Ben gave him in response. 

"Yeah, cause you almost downed a whole bottle of NyQuil and I clocked the shit out of you for being a dumbass." Ben stood up and paced the room, phasing through the walls as his anxious strides became longer and longer in klaus' small studio apartment. 

Klaus slowly got up, just barely sidestepping the puddle of NyQuil now on his tiled floor. "Yeah, you Patrick Swayzed me, that was so rude!"

Ben froze in the middle of the room, his hands reaching out on reflex to throttle his brother,"Klaus! I swear to God!!"

Klaus groaned, scratching madly at his neck and face "Don't, she's a bitch." 

"Stop scratching!" Ben boomed, yanking his brother's hands off his face. 

"I can't, I'm in withdrawl hell! And why can you touch me!!" Klaus screamed back, his hands smacking Ben's in retaliation which quickly escalated into an all out slap fight between them.

"Cause you're sober, now stop trying to ruin it!"

Their hands stilled and fell at their sides as they breathed heavily. Klaus' lips quirked up into a smirk, followed by a breathy chuckle that was mirrored by Ben. They broke out into a fit of full bodied laughs that had them simultaneously crumbling to the floor. 

"You're an asshole when you can touch things." Klaus huffed, slowly regaining his breath.

"You're an asshole when you're sober." Ben shot back, marveling at the texture of Klaus' dirty floor. 

"I am sober, aren't I." He rubbed a hand over his face, his skin felt too small for his body, like he could peel himself out of it and it still wouldn't be enough. 

"Ben, I don't-" he was cut off by the vibrating of his phone, Britny Spear's toxic, filling the quiet space as he looked quizzically on at it. 

"Is that really my ringtone?" He turned to Ben, half amused and half appalled. 

Ben nodded, "It's been your ringtone for a while now." 

"How high was I?" 

"You were drunk actually." 

The ringing stopped, Ben walked over and picked it up "What if that was Vanya?" 

Klaus shrugged his shoulders and slumped back down on the floor. "If it was important, I'm sure she'd call back." 

Just as it was out of his mouth, the phone lit up again and Britney's voice sang out from it once more. 

"You know, the song's starting to grow on me." 

"Answer the fucking phone!" Ben tossed it at him, Klaus just nearly catching it in his shaky hands. 

"Hello?" He answered, still chuckling at the irony of his ringtone.

"Hello, is this Klaus Hargeeves?" The lady on the phone asked, her voice polite but professional.

The smile dropped from his face,"Yeah, I am."

"Okay, I'm calling to inform you that your sister was brought in earlier tonight-" 

_______________________

"How are you planning on getting there!?" Ben speed walked behind him, trying to keep pace as Klaus frantically made his way down the sidewalk, his arms crossed over himself in an attempt to maintain whatever body heat he had. He'd forgotten his coat in his rush out the door following the phone call, regretting it now since most nights he was too high to feel the cold no matter the season. God, he wanted a drink to warm him up, alcohol or hot chocolate, he'd take what he could get. 

"I'll get a cab!" He shouted back, teeth chattering but no less fervent in his conviction to get to the other side of New York City. 

"Klaus, you didn't even have enough money for weed cause you impulsivly decided to wine and dine somebody else's boyfriend and on top of that, you still spent what you had left on fucking NyQuil!!" Ben grabbed him by the shoulders, spinning him around to face him. Klaus felt like puking not for the first time that night. 

"I know, alright! It was a dumb thing to do, but Vanya needs me and I'm at least sober, even though I really, really don't want to be." His eyes stung and his throat felt tight, cause Ben didn't look angry, he looked scared and it only made Klaus all the more terrified. Everything was turning to shit far faster than he could keep up with. 

"I'll walk all the way there if I have to, but I'm getting there no matter what." 

"Where are you going?" 

Klaus startled, his heart beating out of his chest, a distinct sense of Deja Vu dawning on his as he turned to the familiar voice behind him.   
_________________________

Dave dragged himself out of bed and grabbed his car keys. No one was there, what was the point of staying for the rest of the night? He really didn't have a plan for what to do with the next....looking at his phone it was eight O'clock already, so that gave him four hours till morning, and six more till sunrise. He wanted to go to the nearest bar and drink till he was sick, but he knew that was the worst and most self destructive thing he could do. So, instead, he picked the second worst and most self destructive thing he could do. Finding Klaus Hargeeves, cause if he was going to fall back into old habits, he much preferred this one.

In the back of his mind, he could already see Preston taking a drag from his newly lit cigarette, pinning him with the most unimpressed stare, then blowing the smoke out on a long forlorn sigh "Listen Dave, people get themselves into bad situations all on their own, it's not your job to fix those people just cause you can empathize. That's how you get taken advantage of and if you keep living your life, giving and giving, then pretty soon you'll have nothing left for people to take. Sounds pretty counterproductive to me."

Dave had felt conflicted when he first told him that. He had believed for the longest time that helping people was just what he was meant to do, but he knew deep down, Preston was right. His whole life he'd attracted troubled people from all over, each one piling their own brand of woes onto him and too many times he'd overloaded himself or broken down into smaller and smaller pieces, just so he could give those people more room. He'd been at a breaking point of no return when he met Preston, a young, self confident man, smoking a cigarette by the bus stop. He took one look at him and was instantly drawn to the unwavering smokey grey that hung over him. Amazed that he felt nothing from the guy, it was just his own emotions and for the first time, he was alone in his own head. 

Now though, he was starting to question how worthwhile their relationship was, when Dave only ever felt sad or guilty these days. With the way things were going, he couldn't help but think back on his evening with Klaus and how he laughed more then he had in the last two years, or how exciting and carefree everything felt with him. And maybe he needed something, anything to make him feel better about himself, less disposable as most arguments with Preston left him feeling, but more than that; He hated himself for the way he had left Klaus in the diner. He wanted to see him again and make sure he was alright, remembering how out of sorts he'd looked before, had felt the underlying aches and desperation dampening his mood and the way he seemed to never keep still. He knew Klaus needed help, some kind of support in an obviously difficult time, but Dave ignored him. He had to make up for it somehow.   
________________

He drove around for a while, following his intuition more so than his actual non existent knowledge of where to find Klaus. He had a couple guesses, but didn't want to be too presumptuous, besides, searching every dingy ally in the city would take far longer than the rubber band tightening and guiding him towards the commotion on the street up ahead. 

He slowly turned the corner to investigate, noting the two police cars parked right up on the side walk with their lights flashing and the yellow tape and traffic cones that sectioned off the front, keeping the dwindling crowd at a distance. In the dark it looked like any other hole in the wall, but the closer he got, the more his nerves began to fray. Even with the front windows shattered and glass covering the pavement or the black graffiti defacing the rest of it, he knew this was Vanya's Cafe. 

"No, no,no,no, what did you do Preston?" He seethed under his breath, recognizing the numerous bat designs as Preston's brand logo, confirming his previous speculations. He cruised down the street as close as he possibly could, looking in horror at the carnage that must have gone down here. He didn't think it could get any worse, but then he saw the dark red splatters over the entrance of the cafe. He felt like a bucket of ice had been dumped on him, his face draining of color as the dread set in. He didn't even think about it, just pressed his foot to the gas Patel and speeded the hell out of there. 

He stopped a couple blocks away, his hands trembling too much for him to continue driving. His breath hitched higher and higher, he squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to work through the emotions, but just like he had with Klaus, he felt all of it all at once. All the fear, the anger and misery. It wasn't his own, it belonged to whoever had been hurt on that sidewalk. It belonged to Vanya. 

He didn't know the extent of what Preston did, but he knew his fans were formidable when angered, especially in recent times as his career really began to take off. Most days he was proud of Preston's success, but right now, he felt like puking. He was scared to even check his social media, he didn't use it often, found it too disingenuous for his taste, but he had a Twitter and Instagram apon Preston's insistens. He followed only four people on both apps, Preston and the girls, but now, they felt like viruses cohabiting in his phone, infecting him wherever he went. He wanted to delete every last link that he had to whatever spawned this act of criminality and cruelty. 

He was counting back from one hundred in his head, when something out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention. peering out the window, he saw a flash of yellow and red. The red bleeding deeper and darker while the yellow only got brighter and more florescent, but that wasn't the most peculiar thing about them. Slowly, he stepped out of the car and walked towards the swirling aura blazing so strongly he could see it through an entire building.   
______________________

"I know, alright! It was a dumb thing to do, but Vanya needs me and I'm at least sober, even though I really, really don't want to be." 

Coming closer, he could both hear and see the figure on the side walk up ahead. It was Klaus, in the same clothes as he had last seen him in and it made Dave wonder if he owned warmer attire. 

"I'll walk all the way there if I have to, but I'm going to get there no matter what." 

He stopped just a few steps behind him, latching onto what Klaus was saying, his mouth speaking before he could think. 

"Where are you going?" He watched Klaus jump in surprise, the situation feeling all too familiar, he held back the smirk threatening to spread across his face, knowing circumstances were much more grimmer than they had been the first time. He still couldn't help the little flutter in his stomach as Klaus finally looked at him. 

"Dave, what?" He was paler than before, with heavy bags under his eyes. Dave was glad he found klaus, but he didn't like the look of him. He was still in the beginnings of withdrawal and there was no way he was going to make it all the way across the city on his own, didn't want him to even attempt it. 

"I asked where you were going, I can take you there." He fiddled with the keys in his hand, feeling awkward in the short silence that hung between them.

"Okay, so aside from the fact that you're clearly stalking me, Do you know how to get to the hospital on 4th street?" Klaus asked, his face still damp with tears, but the crease in his brow and the tone of his question told Dave he wasn't tolerating any games in this matter. He quickly nodded in reply and just like that, he was guiding klaus back to his car.   
_________________________

Klaus got into the front seat, Ben slumping himself into the back with his arms crossed and a critical look directed at their driver the entire ride to the hospital. 

"I don't trust this guy." 

Klaus kept his gaze on the road, watching the blur of lights and street signs rush by, his head leaned against the cold window as he forced himself to stay awake and alert as possible. 

"Don't ignore me, I know you can hear me." 

Klaus wasn't necessarily giving Ben the cold shoulder, but his head was a muddled mess, not to mention Dave probably wouldn't be very impressed if Klaus started talking to himself out of the blue, not like he wanted to impress him or anything; he just didn't have the energy to explain himself tonight. He did it so often in his everyday life already and this week was quickly turning into the worse one he's had in a long while. He just needed some semblance of peace before he was thrust back into the mayhem again. 

"I'm really sorry about the way things turned out for you and your sister-"   
Dave started, then paused picking out his next words carefully, "I know I acted a bit erratically earlier and I feel bad about it, especially since you payed for my coffee and even apologised and respected my boundaries when I confronted you. I guess, I'm just not used to that." 

Klaus could bearly grasped on to what was being said, his body buzzing in that clammy pin prickly way, coupled with a headache that was steadily verging into migraine territory, he didn't even bother to move his head off the car window to face him, just furrowed his eyebrows and uttered a loud and genuinely confused "Huh?", In response. 

They came to a light, the car stopping momentarily and giving Dave a minute to take a glance at his passenger. He didn't say anything more after that, the car staying silent the rest of the way to the hospital. 

____________________________

"Do you need help?" Dave asked, the third thing he's said to Klaus since getting into the car. Klaus only shook his head, clambering out of the car on Shaky legs. He looked like a newborn colt and Dave had to fight the inclination to invade his personal space and throw an arm around him in support. He asked and Klaus declined, even as his legs gradually gave out from under him, Dave had no choice but to stand there and wait while Klaus took a moment to collect himself on the hospital parking lot. 

"J-just give me a sec, there's spots in my vision." Klaus sat there, his head resting in the palms of his hands before finally forcing himself back onto his feet. He stood, then swayed, then steadied himself, made to take a step towards the hospital, then swayed even more violently than before; Dave was at his side this time, catching him before he could hit the ground. His arms securing around his waist while Klaus clutched his biceps on instinct. 

"I know you said no, but I'm going to help you a little bit, okay?" 

Klaus blinked for a moment, the haze in his eyes clearing up for a split second as he stared up at Dave in astonishment. 

"You're very strong." He stated bluntly. 

Dave's mouth quirked up in a small smile, "Maybe, or maybe it's cause you're an alarmingly skinny man." 

"Hmmm, don't skinny shame me, I can't help it, I have a fast metabolism."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Dave retorted as he slung Klaus' arm around his shoulder and slowly guided him into the hospital lobby. 

______________________

Once inside, Klaus quickly detached himself from him and practically sprinted to the receptionist desk. "I'm Klaus Hargeeves, my sister Vanya Hargeeves was brought in earlier tonight." He leaned heavily against the desk, his fingers tapping impatiently against it's granite countertop as the receptionist typed away on her keyboard. 

"Yes, we have her here, she's in room 206, visiting hours will be ending shortly, so be brief." 

Klaus nodded and was down the hospital corridor in minutes, Dave and Ben following close behind. 

______________________

Entering the room, Klaus faltered, his breath stuttering at the sight of his sister. Vanya was sat up in the bed, a thick layer of gauze wrapped over the left side of her face and around her forehead. Even with all the bandages, he could see the deep red, purple and yellow bruises blooming beneath it. The discoloration spreading over the bridge of her nose and to the other side of her face. She was pale with sad, hollow eyes and a split lip above a line of stitches running down her chin. 

She looked at him, an unspoken conversation being communicated between their connected eyes, one that said, 'this feels too familiar.' that said, 'this reminds me, does it remind you?' and, 'I thought I was done being hurt, so why I am hurting?' 

His eyes welled up with tears just as Vanya's did. He rushed to her, climbing next to her on the bed and squeezing her in a bone crushing hug, crying his eyes out onto her shoulder. The two of them breaking down, all of their fractured pieces on full display, not a care in the world for who saw. 

"I was so scared, Klaus. They were surrounding me and throwing things. They threw bricks into my windows. They graffitied my store and when I tried to call the cops and get them to leave, they threw rocks and dragged me outside." She sobbed, her nails digging into his back as she held onto him for dear life. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Vanya. I should have protected you. I should have been there. I shouldn't have messed with that guy. I should have put my pride away and let him talk. You shouldn't have been hurt like this, you shouldn't be losing your shop, we shouldn't have to be scared again." He babbled wetly, feeling his heart breaking with every word he shouldn't have to say, not at their age. Not after all the hell from their childhood they managed to out live.   
It was unforgivable what was happening. Vanya didn't deserve this, she did nothing wrong, but she was taking the entire brunt of some pycho's vendetta that should be directed at him. He should be taking the fall, not her. He couldn't believe how ridiculous this was, it made him....angry. 

It made him so incredibly furious with the whole situation. His baby sister was targeted, harassed, injured and hospitalized cause some phoney, scumbag medium couldn't handle being put in his place. Every day of his youth, he and his siblings were humiliated, beaten and worked like dogs by their father and this cry baby fuck wit had the audacity to talk shit about them and sick his social media minions on Vanya. He just couldn't fathom it. He was angry. He was so far beyond angry, he couldn't care less about drugs, or the pain of withdrawal, or even the numerous ghosts currently conjugating into the small room, screaming his name and wailing for his attention to the point of blank noise. None of it mattered except for revenge, cause when it comes down to it, you can say what you want about him, take whatever legal action you pleased, but hurt his family? You might as well write your will now, cause no one hurts his family. He was going to show that weaselly bastard what a real medium looked like.   
________________

Dave watched the scene unfold, feeling like a voyeur to an intimate moment between siblings. They were creating a giant blue mist engulfing the room like a fog. He was going to lose composure again, his own emotions mirroring and absorbing automatically. He knew better by now not to try and work through it, not with the Hargreeves at least, instead opting to take a step outside and give them their privacy.

It wasn't till he got to the next hall over, that he was a comfortable enough distance away, to ease himself back into his own mind. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, breathing and gauging his mental state and deciding what was his and what wasn't. At this point of one fucked up thing after the other, he couldn't really tell how or what he felt anymore. Everything was getting so much more convoluted the further this ordeal went. He was certainly dumbfounded, the Hargeeves were beginning to be more of an enigma then Preston had first made them out to be. 

He'd known about the Umbrella Academy since his childhood, though he payed more attention to dinosaurs and his bug collection when their original hype had been bombarding the media. And over time it became sort of common knowledge to assume their stories of fantastical powers were blown out of proportion compared to the real thing. Now though, after all he's seen and witnessed, he was certain there was more truth in those stories then he had previously thought. The Hargeeves were something else, he didn't have a clue as to what, but they were definitely not like him, not like Preston either. He'd never seen an aura branch out like that before. Most cases, people's auras had just been momentary flashes, or swirling orbs that hung atop their heads and sometimes a ring around their person, depending on the intensity of their emotions. The Hargeeves though, had so many varying auras that could reach such magnitude, It scared him in a way, made him feel like he was diving head first into the unknown with no certainty if he would make it out to the other side. 

_______________

"Oh, there you are." Klaus came down the hall, walking towards him sluggishly, his hand held against the wall for support. 

"I just wanted to give you some privacy-" 

Klaus nodded, his nose and cheeks flushed as he wiped the tears and mucus off his face with the hem of his shirt."No, ah, I figured that's what you did, thank you for that, but visiting hours are over now, I guess I have to leave."

Dave averted his eyes from Klaus' half hazard way of cleaning his face, reaching into his pocket for his handkerchief and handing it to him. 

Klaus took it, his eyes wide momentarily before recovering, a soft smile playing on his lips ,"Thank you." 

"No problem." He said, feeling his anxiety dull little by little. He'd have to read up on the Umbrella Academy next chance he got, but in this moment, he couldn't really be scared of Klaus, or Vanya for that matter. These people were definitely different, but he didn't think they were dangerous. And the longer he spent with them, with klaus, the more clarity he felt in his original notion of Preston being in the wrong. 

________________

Klaus trudged into the parking lot. He was a silent ravenous ball of anger, greif, and shame all simmering within him like an explosive chaotic stew. Dave was practically hovering over his shoulder, waiting for him to erupt or collapse in on himself, then nearly knocked him over as Klaus suddenly stopped walking and began to glare at a spot beside him, his lips moving but not a lot of sound coming out. 

"Klaus, are you okay?" He asked, realizing he was speaking under his breath and possibly seeing things. He didn't respond though, instead throwing him a surprised glance before moving further away from him. 

"Klaus?" He called out again, but Klaus kept walking ahead and into the parking lot, most likely looking for his car, but his swerving steps were proof enough that he had no idea where he was going. Dave sprinted after him, determined to catch up before he hurt himself. 

"I know Ben. It's bad, I know it's bad, I didn't think she'd be attacked. If I did I would have stayed with her. You know I would have." By the time he caught up, Klaus was back on the cement, sat with his back against a car that was three spaces away from his own, his head between his knees as he spoke to....his brother. 

Dave realized Klaus might actually be talking to his deceased brother, and that made the whole situation so much more heart-wrenching than it already was. He didn't know why he doubted him, well, besides Klaus being a notorious drug addict and Preston talking on and on about how fake the Umbrella Academy were. Then again, Klaus had lagitmently been a prominent figure in the occultist community. He might not have paid as much attention to it before he met Preston, but he does remember the numerous magazine articles and tv appearances Klaus was subject of over the years.

"Klaus?" He said softly, not sure if he noticed him standing there yet

"Go away Dave, i'm super mad at Your evil boyfriend and I don't want to be mad at you, cause you're actually nice, which makes no sense as to why you're with Prinston." Klaus still had his head buried between his knees. He couldn't really argue with Klaus this time, wouldn't even think to in these circumstances. He could tell himself that maybe Preston didn't intend for Vanya to get hurt, but now, he was having a hard time believing that. All the things he usually told himself, were starting to sound more like excuses then the explanations he had thought they were. 

"His name's Preston and....it's complicated between us." He said, coming to sit down beside Klaus' who instantly lifted his head up at 'its complicated', peering up at him with the most hopeful expression, "currently, it's not usually like that with us, but I can't quite say how it will be in the future, but he's definitely changed since we first met." He elaborated, wrapping his arm around Klaus in a side hug, his hand touching his icy skin then immediately whipping back as if he had been burned. He got up and quickly pulled Klaus' with him, steering him back to the car. 

"Let's get you home, you're freezing." Klaus followed after him in a daze, relishing in the warmth of their hands clasped together. 

"You're such a gentleman, they don't make them like you in my neck of the woods." He slurred out, as Dave grabbed a coat from his trunk that he proceeded to zip Klaus into, before buckling him in for the ride home. 

"Okay, he's a little more trustworthy than before, but just a little." Ben said from the back seat, his eyes still narrowed at the man, but with less heat this time. 

Dave buckled his own seat then froze, his body tensing as his gaze flicked to the rear view mirror. 

Klaus looked at him sceptically, "hmm?" 

Dave shook his head and started the ignition. "Nothing, just thought I heard something." 

"I hear things all the time." Klaus commented, his head thunking heavily onto the cool glass of the window. 

______________

A few minutes on the road and Dave realized he had no idea where Klaus lived. An anxious dread made him question if Klaus even had a home. If he didn't, then did he just drop him off at the nearest homeless shelter? A halfway house maybe? Rehab? 

"Klaus, hay, where do you live?" 

Klaus peeked an eye out at him, then winced as a particularly bright pair of headlights passed by, "on, on, ah, on-" 

Dave listened to him struggle to string the beginnings of a sentence together, his brows creasing further in worry. He'd heard him slurring off and on throughout the night, but this was different. It felt different, not only had Klaus' mood and energy dropped even lower then it had been, but his aura was acting funny, like it couldn't decide on a color or shape. Morphing rapidly from one state to the next. 

"On what street Klaus?" He asked gently, doing his best to keep his eyes on the road, but still sneaking quick glances at him any chance he could. 

"On, four, fourth. See-see Vanya at, hospital."

Dave felt a chill run through him, alarms blaring in his head as he slammed on the breaks and peeled out of traffic to the nearest place to park. He found a vacant lot and put the car in park then flipping the car light on, apologizing profusely as Klaus winced and shielded his eyes away from it. 

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, but I need to get a good look at you." He delicately pried Klaus' hands off his face, his concern growing at just how unfocused and blood shot his eyes were. 

"G-get off of m-me, we-we need to-to find Vanya!" Klaus shoved him away and threw himself out of the car. Dave quickly followed after him. 

"Klaus, we just came back from seeing Vanya, we're on the way back to you're place." Coming closer to Klaus, he held his arms out in a placating manner, trying to seem as little of a threat as he could. Klaus wasn't paying attention to him, his gaze fixating on a spot further off in the distance. Dave was confused, then he noticed the rhythmic clenching and unclenching of his fists. Before he could react accordingly, Klaus was already dropping to the ground, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he stiffened and began jerking violently on the pavement.

He ran to him, panicked and expecting to see blood from where Klaus' head had connected with the concrete, but there wasn't any. Looking closer, he saw that his upper half was actually hovering slightly off the ground. Something was holding him, he was confused and curious, but it wasn't the time to ponder it. He pulled out his phone and counted down the minutes till Klaus stopped convulsing, thankfully it was over by the three minute mark. Meaning Klaus didn't need a hospital, not yet at least. 

Klaus was unconscious, his head still floating inches off the ground, surprised, but not nearly as freaked out by it as he thought he would be, though he had an inkling as to what forces were at play here. 

"How in the hell did you survive for this long?" He asked quietly, brushing the hair from Klaus' sweaty forehead, his racing heart slowing down as he watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, reassuring himself that Kluas was alright, not good, definitely not good, but not dead either. He didn't think that thought would scare him so much after only knowing Klaus for such a short amount of time, but he supposed with his particular disposition, you tended to get to know someone on a much deeper level wether you wanted to or not. 

"Thank you Ben, for catching him. You've probably been looking after him for a while, you're a good brother, but I can't just leave him, wouldn't know where to leave him if I had to, not that I ever would and I won't, but I am asking your permission to let me look after him for a bit. You can come too of course, I'm not sure how this works, but I invite you into my home to haunt, or whatever. Preston says we have a lot of ghosts anyway, so maybe you might make a friend." He rambled into the air, waiting a moment for any possible sign that it was indeed Ben who heard him. He felt a small breeze, but that was it. 

"This feels very illegal," He muttered to himself as he scooped Klaus up, frowning at how light the guy was for being only an inch shorter than him, then buckled him back up into the car. The rubber band pulling tighter, but he was too preoccupied to heed it's warnings, all of his focus on Klaus and Klaus only.

__________________

Hospital: Vanya's room, 10:00 am the next morning. 

The hospital is just beginning to bustle with patients and nurses, her rooms located further to the back and between two currently vacant rooms, so the noise doesn't bother her as much as it could be. She yawns, absently flicking through channels on the small TV above her, most of which are news channels documenting her attack with varying angels and camera qualities from the numerous phones that had recorded the entire ordeal. After the fifth channel shamelessly showing her fuzzy image crying and bleeding out in front of her shop, she shut it off. 

A knock on the door startles her, "Miss Hargreeves?" 

"Y,yeah?" She calls out just as the door pushes open, a nurse steps through with someone else hidden behind her. 

"You have a visitor, she's not family but was very insistent that she see you, even followed me all the way down the hall to your room. we just wanted to make sure that was alright with you first." The nurse smiled, then stepped out of the way, revealing one of the girls Vanya recognized from Preston's group. 

"Hi Vanya." She greeted, waving with a big smile on her face, a stuffed bear and a single wrapped rose in her other hand. 

Vanya's blood ran cold, could feel her chest constrict and set the heart monitor off. It beeped manically and only fueled her rising panic. The nurse rushed out calling for backup as the girl dropped her gifts as she was shoved to the side by rushing nurses. Just as the chaos exploded in her small hospital room, a familiar blue light flashed, halting everyone's tracks while a young man emerged out from it. Dressed in a slick navy blue suit with a black brief case held firmly in his hand. He paid no regard to the other people in the room, only staring straight on at Vanya, flashing her a devious smirk and a spark of blood thirst shining in his eyes. 

"So, who's career am I going to destroy today?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just when you thought you couldn't hate Preston anymore. Also threw in a last minute surprise at the end there, bet no one will ever guess who the mysterious telaporting stranger is(sarcasm) 
> 
> Anyway, I was actually a little nervous about this chapter, it's easily the most intense ch so far, and I'm just hoping I'm keeping consistent in the tone I'm going for, especially with Dave since I seem to be focusing a lot on him and what's going on his head. So feedback is definitely appreciated, really looking forward to finishing the story.


	5. Can you withstand the withdrawals?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave brings Klaus back to his place, not exactly certain of what his plan of action is in doing so, he's conflicted between his growing feelings for Klaus and his loyalty to Preston. When a discussion on the toxicity if his relationship send him over the edge, he's quickly shown just how different Klaus is from Preston. The atmosphere between takes a turn from that point on, tension building as Dave let's himself indulge in Klaus company, but when things hit boiling point, is Dave willing to let go of five years of Preston's manipulation and abuse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ch 5!!! I really went all in on this one, even tried something new near the end, so mild smut up ahead, you have been warned. Also let me know if I should incorporate it more in the story, I like smut especially if it adds to it aids in the story, I'm just not too confident writing it. I rewrote the scene like three times. 
> 
> Also, Ch six won't be posted today, I'm still working on it, but it will come out next Sunday, I'mma really grind to get out on time.

Ch 6 can you withstand the withdrawals?

Dave unlocked the door and carried Klaus in, kicking the boxes of chocolate and giant stuffed bat to the floor so he could deposit him onto the couch. Then he ran to the washroom to check if Preston had at least left their old bedding. He searched through cabinets and boxes till he finally found them, they were a little on the dustier side, but a good pat down would make them good as new. Coming back to the living room, Klaus was still in the same position he had left him and he didn't see him waking up any time soon, so he removed his sandals and set them to the side, then draped the blanket over him. He turned the lights off and got ready for bed.   
____________________

Klaus blinked back to consciousness gradually, his senses coming back on line in increments. First noting that he felt more horizontal then he last remembered and that his head and muscles hurt like a particularly aggressive hangover, but he wasn't hungover; he knew that for a fact. Hadn't touched a drop of alcohol in days. 

"Fuuuuuk, what time is it?" He tried to sit up, but he was immediately nauseous moving his body the smallest amount. 

"Quarter to twelve sunshine." Ben commented dryly. Klaus shifted his eyes up, seeing him sat weightlessly atop the flat screen TV and stereo system. 

"I've been sober for almost two days? I hate this. I hate this, you know I hate this Ben."

Ben rolled his eyes and jumped down from the TV set, coming over to stand above him. "I meant twelve pm, meaning you have been sober for two whole days, so stop whining. Don't you remember what you told Vanya at the hospital?" 

He squinted his eyes in confusion, then slowly everything came back, the cafe, the coffee and donut date with Dave, Vanya, the hospital, Dave, Dave...."Oh shit, am I in Dave's house? Did Dave kidnap me!? Ben, did you let him kidnap me!?" 

Feet were heard bounding down the hallway, Dave skidding into the room on socked feet, red faced and panicked in nothing but a grey T-shirt and black boxer briefs with a foamy toothbrush held in his cheek, "I did not kidnap you, you are free to leave at whatever point you want to." 

Klaus shot up off the couch in surprise, his stomach protesting none too kindly to his sudden change in orientation. He doubled over, heaved once, then proceeded to empty his stomach all over Dave's hardwood floor. 

"J-just stay there, I'll get a bucket." Dave said before rushing down the hall again, leaving Klaus standing amongst his mess, woozy and a lot embarrassed with himself. 

Ben took a step back, scrunching his nose up at him, even though Klaus was damn certain Ben's seen him do worse.

"It was a kind kidnapping." 

He rolled his eyes, "I thought you didn't trust him."

"Oh, so you were hearing me.", Ben gasped in mock surprise,

"Not the point." 

"No, it's not, the point is, I wouldn't have let him take you if I wasn't certain of his intentions. You had a seizure in the middle of the night and he still stayed with you, he could have left you anywhere, but he didn't. You literally have no one else to look after you while you detox, Klaus. Plus, I am known for my good judgement of Character after all." 

Klaus scoffed, "that wasn't in your bio." 

Ben huffed, his mouth opening to retort back when Dave returned. He was wearing a pair of sweatpants now, holding a small plastic bin in one hand and a towel and pair of joggers in the other, "Okay, I got a bucket, in case you need it, uh, I also grabbed some pants and a towel, if you want to take a shower maybe." 

Klaus raised his eyebrows, then looked down at himself, stood over his own sick, seeing and feeling all the grime and sweat dried onto his skin. He still felt like he was permanently tilted on his axis, his head throbbed and his muscles were sore, but a bath and some loose pants did sound good. More than good, it sounded like the only thing he needed right now and most nights, it was.

"Y-yeah, I could use a bath, thank you." He finally said, his voice coming out surprisingly soft. 

Dave grinned, looking entirely too happy to get Klaus clean. He didn't think much of it though, far too wrung out and disoriented to ask himself what Dave was getting out of this. He knew it would come up at some point. Experience has taught him on many occasions that it's never a one way deal. Somebody always wanted something, that was just how it worked and with Dave telling him in the diner how he wasn't interested, well, Klaus could only imagine what he was going to want in return.   
__________________

Dave helped him step over the mess, reassuring him he would clean it and that it was no problem, then slowly led him down the hall towards the bathroom. 

"Alright, this is the shower, the water gets pretty hot so be careful. Here's your towel and some joggers, they're mine by the way, so they might be a little big, but they're the only ones with drawstrings, so they should fit alright. I'll just be in the living room, but call me if you need anything." Dave rambled, setting the pants and towle on the counter then turning to leave. 

"Wait!" Klaus called out, stopping Dave before he could close the door behind himself. 

"Yeah?" He asked, turning to face Klaus again.

"I, I don't bathe with the door closed, it's just, I, I just don't do it, can you-" He tried to explain. 

Dave's concerned expression quickly morphed into one of complete understanding, "Of course! I mean, yeah, yeah, of course I can keep it open. Like I said, whatever you need. I'll still be in the living room whenever you're done." 

He smiled one last time and left, leaving the door open just like Klaus had asked. He waited a moment to be sure he was out of ears distance then began stripping out of his clothes. "He's a little odd isn't he?" 

Ben sat atop the counter, his eyes narrowed towards the doorway quizzically. "He's definitely strange, not our strange, but still different." 

"Heaven forbid he's as wacked out as our family." Klaus snorted, making his way over to the shower, frowning when he saw it was only a shower. 

"He knows I'm real?" He added. Klaus, pausing in his ruminating on the lack of bath, turned his head to look at Ben, who stared blankly back at him. He wasn't joking. 

"He spoke to me. Asked my permission to bring you here, even invited me along, not that I wouldn't have followed. "

Klaus was silent as he turned the shower on, watching the water hit the tiled floor. He didn't like showers, didn't like the four walls that closed in on him when he was in them. Even curtains made him nervous, one too many times he'd had a ghost reach in to join him, like a scene from Psycho. At least in baths, if he wanted to get away, all he had to do was go up and out. It was definitely easier to smoke a joint in a bath too. He poked his hand in and felt the warm water on his skin, watched the dirt and filth rinse away, pooling at his feet and swirling down the drain as he stepped all the way in. He hated showers, but this one didn't scare him. 

"Yeah, that is strange." He said, closing the glass door behind himself. 

_________________________

Dave had just finished mopping and was now sitting on his couch, squeezing the bat plushie to his chest and silently losing his damn mind. Not only did he bring Klaus home, but the man was currently in his shower and will be wearing a pair of his joggers and it felt right, but it was wrong. Of course he would never have left Klaus and didn't regret his decision for a second, but at the same time, what would Preston think? No, he knew what Preston would think. He would think he was a no good, two timing, unfaithful jackass. Things were rockey between them, they definitely needed some professional guidance if they were going to last, but even he knew bringing another man home was crossing some major lines. If Klaus was going to be here, then they had to be on the same page. 

Just as he came to that conclusion, the shower squeaked off. A few minutes later, Klaus walked out, the towel wrapped over his head, Dave's joggers on with the strings tied as tightly as they would go and completely bare chested. Dave flushed realizing he forgot to give Klaus a shirt. He was frozen, every brain cell dedicated to whatever etiquette he once possessed, slowly evaporated away as Klaus came around to sit on the couch next to him. 

"Oh, uh, I uh, I'm sorry. I should have gotten you a shirt. " Dave sputtered, inwardly cringing at the way he was utterly failing right now. 

"No it's fine, I'm fine. It's actually pretty warm in here." Klaus said, his hands in his lap as he fiddled with the drawstrings of his pants. 

Dave nodded,"yeah, I put the heater on." 

It was silent for a moment, awkward and stiff as they sat there staring at one another; Dave, not for the first time, feeling nervous in such close proximity with Klaus, especially seeing him now. Still damp with water droplets collecting near his clavicle, his eyes sparkling under the sunlight filtering in from the kitchen window. He also noted how his face was clean of eyeliner and sweat, making him look almost like a different person. No, he still looked like himself, just more himself than Dave's ever seen. Like this was the Klaus underneath the Klaus he had first met. He couldn't tare his gaze away, it was like coming across an extinct animal and being too amazed to snap a picture, when he really should. 

"I like your bat." Klaus gestured to the plushie in his lap. 

"Th-thanks" he felt his ears heat up, realizing he was still holding the fluffy thing. He looked down at the cartoonish creature, then just handed it over for Klaus to hold. Kluas' took it without a quelm, scrunching his hand through the soft synthetic fur on its head, that also happened to be the rest of its body with floppy wings and ears protruding from it. 

"Does this mean I get to keep it?"

Dave probably should've said no, he'd originally gotten it for Preston, but he honestly didn't know if Preston even wanted it. His heart hurting at the reminder of their last interaction, how annoyed and exasperated he sounded. He just wanted to make him happy, but he could make Klaus happy couldn't he?

"Yeah, you can have it." He told him, feeling insanely warm and fuzzy at the soft smile Klaus gave him in reply, still idaly combing his fingers through the stuffed animal's fur. It was quiet again, but less awkward this time. 

"How are you feeling by the way?" He asked, recalling the circumstances that lead them to this particular moment in time. 

Klaus blinked, then tipped his head slightly, mentally accessing himself before shrugging his shoulders "sober, so that means sore, a little queasy, jittery with the occasional hot flashes and migraine headache." 

That was quite the list, Dave wanted to think it was just a bit of hyperbole, but he had more than just a hunch that Klaus was actually in that much pain and doing a hell of a job at playing it off too. Even without his extra sensory aids, he still recognized the heaviness of his eyes and the way his hands shook no matter how he tried to occupy them. 

"Okay, um, I can make you some tea for your stomach, I think we have aspirin, do you want aspirin? Can you have aspirin?", He got up and headed into the kitchen, pulling out tea bags and a kettle. "You can lie down if you need to-" 

"Dave." 

He stopped. Walking back into the living room, Klaus was leaned against the back of the couch with his arms crossed, looking way too relaxed for a man still in the first stages of withdrawal. It made him anxious just looking at him; Klaus should be curled up on the couch with a blanket and a cup of tea, not stood up against his couch like all in the world was fine and dandy. He just didn't know how he was doing it. Dave remembered his first and last detox. How fucking horrific it was, the three other people there with him all going through the exact same thing. He'd managed to stay sober ever since, just so he wouldn't have to go through it again, but Klaus looked alright, even when he wasn't. He wanted to pick him up, throw him in six different kinds of blankets and make him sleep and eat till he felt better, cause Dave was damn sure, those were the two things he didn't do enough of. 

"How are you okay, when you're not?" He asked weakly, not even surprised anymore with the way his mouth seemed to speak ahead of his brain lately. 

Kluas' eyes widened, he looked to his side, his eyebrows moving in a silent conversation with a figure that wasn't there, at least not to Dave's eyes. He finally returned his attention back to him, a soft breath ghosting past his lips as he scrubbed his chin absently, "If there's one thing I'm actually grateful for my dad teaching me and my siblings, it's that you don't stay down."- He blinked his eyes for a moment, then braced his hands against the couch behind himself, tipping his head to gaze up at the ceiling- "He taught us from the very start, that no matter how many times you hit the mat, you get back up. If it hurts, you get up. If you can't feel your own limbs, you get up. If it's bloody and you want to stay down, you get up." 

His voice took on a harder tone, "It's been ingrained in us for as long as we can remember, Vanya didn't get those lessons though, it's why I can't let this Preston thing slide and why I'm staying sober. I've been taking it easy for a while, been lying on the mat a little too long, but now it's time I got back up." his head tilted back to him, a zing of electricity racing down his spine at the sharpness and clarity of his eyes exposing just how different this Klaus was compared to who had met two nights ago. Dave wondered when that change had occurred, how he missed it, but more so, he wondered what kind of brutal childhood he must have had. He felt a thickness in the air radiating between them, it was a warm and solid kind of energy. He took a moment to focus in on Klaus, seeing his usual mix of blues, but over that was something new. A blazing ring around him, expanding and contracting and slowly soaking up the blue, twisting and morphing it into a- "Gold?" 

Klaus' frowned, "huh?" 

He shook his head, embarrassed and not sure how to explain. "I uh, I'm sorry, it's just that, you're really determined." 

"yeah, I guess I am." Klaus shrugged, "Can I still have the tea and aspirin though?" He asked a beat later. 

Dave perked up, happy to help and move on to something else,"of course, go sit down and I'll put a pot on." 

Klaus nodded and went to take a seat at the kitchen table. Dave already filling the kettle and setting it on the stove, then grabbing the aspirin from a cabinet. He dropped a few into Klaus' palm. He took the tablets thankfully, popping them into his mouth the moment they hit his hand and dry swallowed them in one go. Dave was momentarily stunned at the display of ease and pure reflex Klaus had consumed them, but decided to ignore it in favor of putting the pill bottle away, in the very back, of a very different cabinet from where he'd first gotten it, only feeling a minor sense of guilt for his caution. 

"So, I'm taking it Parsley isn't home, or is there trouble in paradise?" Klaus asked cheekily, spreading his arms across the table and resting his head in the crook of his elbow, facing Dave as he finished up the tea. Dave paused for a moment, then pulled out two mugs, both black with dates written in white and matching photos of he and Preston from their trip to Venice last year, white letters reading 'Happy 5th anniversary' underneath it. He contemplated putting them back and grabbing new ones, but that meant something he just wasn't ready to admit, so he kept them out. 

"Preston, and not sure if you remember, but I told you last night that things are complicated. It's just a rough patch though, we have them and we come out okay every time." 

"Yeah, I remember you saying that." Klaus grumbled, grimacing at the blown up, bleached out face of the current bane of his existence that had been set down in front of him. At least Dave was there too, making the grainy image fifty percent prettier than if he weren't. 

"I admire your optimism, but I've had my fair share of toxic relationships, the first being my father, so I can say for certain that Preston is a textbook case of psycho manipulative asshole, a P.M.A if you will." Klaus took a long sip from his mug, staring Dave down as he did, his eyebrows raised in challenge. 

Dave bit his tongue, he knew Klaus had every right to think the things he did; Preston caused lagitment damage to Klaus and his sister, he couldn't deny that, but this was their relationship he was speaking about. He didn't know Preston for who he truly was, the guy he met at the bus stop, the guy who dedicated so much time and effort into his career, the guy who made Dave's head feel quite. 

"This isn't me taking the moral high ground either, don't get me wrong, I'm a piece of shit too Dave, but Preston, he's something else entirely. He's not......." He stopped, pursing his lips then looking to the chair next to him, nodding his head minutely then turning back to Dave. 

"Ben says he's thankful for all the help you've given me and thinks you're an unnaturally nice guy, which I second and he's worried about the kind of company you surround yourself with." 

"Is, is this an intervention? Are you interventioning me about my boyfriend?" Dave held back a laugh, it was a little ironic when he thought about it. 

"Not just your boyfriend, those girls were kinda mean too." Klaus added. 

He leaned back in his chair, chuckling nervously under his breath, "I can't decide if I'm flattered you actually care this much, or a little scared that you actually care this much." 

Klaus set his mug down, a fidgety hand rubbing from his face to the back of his neck,"I'm serious Dave, you're a nice guy, like you shouldn't be human, you're such a nice guy and I feel like we're friends at this point. I mean, besides Ben, Vanya and all my other siblings whenever they're around, you're sorta like the first friend that I'm not technically related to-"

"I- Klaus I appreciate your worry, really, but me and Preston have been together for five years. He's definitely changed since we first met and I absolutely do not condone or support the way he's been acting and how that's affected you and your family, but he's still my boyfriend. I love him and I can't just give up on what we've built for so many years." Dave cut him off, his chair squeaking against the floor as he stood from his seat, walking away to put his barely touched tea into the sink.

Klaus stood too, but kept his distance at the table,"It's not a matter of what you can or can't do, sometimes it's what you need to do. I don't mean to put my nose where it doesn't belong, believe me, I never do this, but I hate that you might be getting hurt. " 

He tensed up, keeping his head down and staring into the sink, refusing to face Klaus, to make any connection with whatever genuine emotions he might be feeling. He hated it already that his concern was real, that Klaus cared and hadn't lied about not usually stepping in, but he just didn't understand what the point was. There was nothing to worry about, he was okay.

"Preston is a good guy, he's never hurt me once!" 

Klaus washed with red, his aura heated, but cooling down just as quickly, "Dave, he put my sister in the fucking hospital!" 

Dave deflated, the mention of Vanya pulling him out of his Preston shaped bubble, reminding him that this argument wasn't black and white."I know, I know, but I'm going to talk with him when I get the chance, he's angry at me now so I'm not sure when, but I promise you I will and I'll let him know he's crossed some lines-" 

"He's crossed all the lines!", Klaus threw his arms out, the motion knocking his head wrap off, his damp curls falling into his face and making him look insane. 

Dave breathed in a deep breath, sliding down to sit against the kitchen counter, his head falling into his chest as his hands gripped through his hair in an effort to ground himself,- "I'll get him to drop the charges," he mumbled, feeling like he was barging with himself more so then with Klaus,-"I'll make him revoke the law suit and he'll reimburse vanya for all the property damage and hospital bills."

He felt Klaus slump down next to him, their shoulders brushing together and making Dave feel hot where their skin connected, "Somehow, I don't believe he'll do any of that." 

"Then I'll do it." 

Gentle hands grabbed his face, feather light touches slowly directing his gaze up, completely contrasting to the intensity coloring his voice,"You shouldn't have to. You shouldn't have to be doing any of this, Dave. Preston shouldn't be your responsibility.....I shouldn't have to be your responsibility." 

"Klaus?" He covered one of the hands on his cheek, quickly forgetting what he was going to say next, too caught up in the proximity of their faces. 

"Why am I here Dave?" Klaus' asked, only a whisper between them, cause it didn't need to be said any louder, not with the way Dave could count the shades of green in his irises; could see how pale and chapped his lips were; how deep the bags under his eyes went and all the freckles he hadn't noticed before.

Wetting his lips, he didn't hesitate on his answer, "You had nowhere else to go." 

Klaus smirked, but his eyes were sad, Dave wondered if he's ever seen them happy, "Yeah, but I'm okay with that." 

"I wasn't though." 

Klaus sighed and removed his hands, scooting away to sit against the fridge across from him. "Do you actually care, or am I just your redemption token?" 

He didn't sound angry, not accusatory either, it was a genuine question, but it didn't make Dave feel any less gutted. A knot formed in his throat, his chest growing tight as he tried to breath through it, but he couldn't and hoped to god Klaus wasn't sick of it by now. How many times was he going to cry like this, what did he even have to cry about? "I care. I always care and sometimes I wish I couldn't, but I don't have a choice." 

He couldn't focus beyond the tears collecting in his vision, but he felt his arms wrapping around him, holding him together as he broke apart thread by thread. 

"Okay, I believe you, I believe you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, come on." He spoke softly, his words tender and soothing as he coaxed him up and back towards the couch, where Klaus immediately enveloping him in a hug. Pulling him down lengthwise, his arms never loosening around him, but they didn't feel like a restraint, they felt like a tether keeping Dave from floating away. 

"I'm sorry-" he started only for klaus to interject, pressing a finger to his lips and effectively silencing him.

"No, nope, don't apologize. Never apologize, Dave Katz." 

"I'm really not this emotional." He tried again, even though it was a lie. He's always this emotional, just usually a lot better at hiding it.

"Who gives a shit, Since when are emotions bad?" Klaus laughed, looking down at him with an incredulous expression. 

"It's just that-" 

Klaus squeezed him tighter, barreling over whatever he was about to say, "You know,"- he singsonged, his voice evening out to a more conversational tone as he continued,-"it took me till my twenty seventh birthday to realize grown men are aloud to cry. My father always taught us that crying was a weakness, even on the day of Ben's funeral, we still weren't allowed to cry in front of him."   
Dave cringed at the amount of self control it must have taken to stay stone faced at your own brothers funeral, then he felt physical pain thinking about the amount of fear it must have taken to force a child to do that. He snaked his arms around his waist, instinctively comforting Klaus just as much as he was him. It definitely wasn't the page he had been intending to get the two of them on, but he couldn't make himself stop it. He couldn't risk breaking this one moment he was allowed to cry, where he was actually comforted and encouraged to cry. He'd spent so many years doing the holding and comforting, that it was almost alien to be on the opposite end for a change. So, he let himself savor it, closed his eyes and rested his head against klaus chest and just listened. "I've been spending the rest of my life making up for all the times I've never been allowed to cry and why shouldn't I? Who the hell is it hurting? My childhood was shit, my teenhood was shit, I deserve to cry whenever the hell I need to. Cause nobody likes to cry, but it's not bad if you do. Life's fucked up, you can't avoid it, but it's okay to lay down on the mat and let it hurt, just as long as you get back up again." 

________________________________

The room was pitch black when he woke up, the ceiling light was off and he couldn't see anymore sunlight through the kitchen window, meaning they'd been asleep for a while. His heart raced with the realization that he had actually fallen asleep with Klaus, quickly noting the way their positions had shifted; he was smashed into the back of the couch with Klaus on the outside, just barely hanging on if it weren't for his skinny frame and Dave's arms holding him to his chest. They cuddled, they were cuddling, his stomach swooped with butterflies. 

He needed to get away before things got weird, before Dave inevitably made them weird. Well, weirder than they already were, what with Klaus laid half atop of him in nothing but a pair of his joggers, yep he could feel himself making it weird. He slowly disentangled himself from Klaus' limp and conked out body, then slowly laid him back on the couch as he silently slipped away. 

____________________

He flipped his bathroom light on, surprised to find that it was out too. "That's strange," he muttered under his breath, walking out to get his phone. 

Shining the flashlight in, he noticed something glinting on the floor, crouching down to inspect it, he realized it was shards of glass. His bulb must have exploded. He left again to grab the dustpan and broom, flipping hallway and kitchen lights on as he went. None of them turned on, even though he was certain he paid the electric bill. 

Growing increasingly more on edge, he cleaned the glass as quickly as possible, panning his phone light over the bathroom floor to be sure he hadn't missed any pieces.

"Don't worry, you got em all." He froze, his heart hammering as a cold chill washed over him. 

"H-hello?" He called under breath, his throat tight for even daring to speak to whatever was in his bathroom. Slowly, he lifted his light in the direction of the voice, a dark hooded figure stared blankly back at him. 

"OH MY GOD!" He yelped, stumbling back and banging into the edge of the door frame. The figure removed it's hood, revealing a young asain man that was sitting cross legged atop his toilet. 

"He has a fever." The man said, his tone flat. 

"Who are you and how the hell did you get into my condo?!" He felt around for the closest thing he could use as a weapon, coming up with a straight razor that was on the counter. Dave was a pacifist through and through, never been in a physical altercation in his life, but he was still scared and would do what he could to protect both Klaus' and himself. 

The man rolled his eyes then stood up, his arms folded and irritation written all over his face,"Okay, first of all, you invited me, rude. Second, you're like twice my size dude, pretty sure you don't need a razor to take me down. Also, Preston lied, there are no other ghosts here, which is why it's the best place for Klaus to be." 

He blinked, slowly setting the razor back down, "Ben, you're Ben?"

"Yes, I am and Klaus has a fever. He's two days in and slowly creeping into the third. I've been around for many of his detoxes, so trust me on this. It's going to get bad, but no matter how much he begs or cries, you let him ride it out. If he asks you to tie him up, then you tie him up, don't give him medicine either, absolutely nothing over the counter, I saw you give him that aspirin, so that's strike one already." Ben closed in on him, a dark look looming in his features as his sweater began to move, Dave looked down in morbid curiosity as three large ghostly tentacles slithered out of him, whipping violently in all directions like they had a mind of their own. 

"You're lucky I'm not tangible Dave, I'm already eating up the majority of your homes electro magnetic energy just to manifest, but I am here and I'll know when you fuck up, so I'm trusting you with him. Do not. Let him. Relapse." The tentacles shot out from Ben's abdomen, he held in a scream as he watched them pierce through his own stomach, seemingly going on for miles.

"I will. I promise I will." As soon as he looked back up, Ben was gone. His lights blinked back on and he could hear a low groan coming from the living room. Shaking himself from his shock, he left to check on Klaus. 

He was still asleep on the couch, his face flush and scrunching up in discomfort; he lightly touched the back of his palm to his forehead, the skin there sweaty and scalding against his own. 

"Shit, you are burning up." -He walked to the kitchen, thankful that Ben returned all of his electro magnet energy or whatever it was he called it and dampened a washcloth to lay over his head. 

He didn't mind being a caretaker and seeing Klaus through his detox; he liked the company, Klaus' company. He liked the way he let him express himself and didn't make him feel guilty for his sensitivity. Klaus understood that part about him, maybe he understood even more than that and yet, Dave felt he was still just barely scratching the surface of who Klaus really was. Every new interaction showed him another layer of the man and the more intrigued he became, the deeper he wanted to dig, find out whatever he could and hoard it. 

Dave was never the greedy type, not when he knew all too well what it was like to feel so depleted after giving more of yourself than you could spare, but Klaus made him feel selfish for the first time in his life. Klaus made him feel good and he just wanted more, it scared him, cause he didn't know if it was a hunger that could ever be satisfied, not that he deserved that kind of satisfaction. He'd told Klaus he wasn't interested back at the diner and he shouldn't be regretting it now, cause it still rang true. He was just... curious and entertained by Klaus. The man, as strange as he was, was good company, a good big brother and a good friend, but over all, he wasn't Preston. That was all he needed to know.

Reaching down, he took the wash cloth from Klaus' head and flipped it over to the cooler side, brushing his hair out of the way and contemplating if he should get a few bobby pins to keep it contained. 

"Mom?" Klaus moaned, his hand raising to the object over his face, slowly blinking awake at the texture of the damp rag. 

"Hay, hay, just relax, you got a fever." He tried to settle him, but Klaus pushed past his attempts and sat up. He was in a daze, looking back and forth at his surroundings; Dave was scared it was going to turn into a repeat of the night before. Then Klaus made a noise, a heaving, gagging noise and Dave sprung into action, grabbing him by his elbow and steering him to the bathroom. Klaus fell to his knees just as he got the toilet lid open, vomiting while Dave sat here next to him, rubbing his back through it all. 

"Fuck, I hate this, I forget how bad it is." Klaus rasped, his head resting against the toilet bowl. Dave felt terrible that he was going through this, knew how it felt first hand, but he still couldn't fix it, no matter how badly he wanted to. Klaus' eyes were foggy again, looking delirious as he shakily forced himself off the bathroom floor. Dave sat up, watching in trepidation as he stumbled out of the bathroom. 

"You know what, i-i can get sober some other time, yeah, I have a few days before Vanya needs me, I'm just going to go out and-" 

Dave was immediately on his feet -"Klaus, no."- He called, following him to the front door where he stood struggling to put his sandals on. He tried to pull him back, but Klaus spun around and batted his hand away. 

"You said I could leave when I wanted to, now I'm leaving!"

Dave had told him that, but those were... different circumstances, plus he had promised Ben. His blood chilling at the memory of his many warnings. Klaus had managed to get his sandals on and was opening the door, he panicked and grabbed him from behind in a bear hug, lifting him up and staggering back as he began to kick wildly into the air. 

"Oh my God! You are kidnapping me! I'm being kidnapped heeeeeeeeeelp!" Klaus yelled, but Dave managed to close the door and walk them over to the couch. He flopped down on his back, klaus still restrained in his arms, but his fighting tapered out once he realized he wasn't getting free any time soon. 

"Please?" Klaus sobbed, twisting his body to face Dave, sad puppy dog eyes pleading with him. He stayed silent, forcing himself to remember what Ben had told him. 'do not let him relapse, no matter how much he begs and cries.' 

"Please Dave, please?" He tried again, his crying growing more sorrowful. Dave wanted to give in, the bottle of aspirin even crossed his mind, but then he felt scummy immediately after. Klaus was going to kill himself if he kept on like this, Dave couldn't be his enabler no matter how much he loved- . He stopped, banishing the thought just as quickly as it came. Klaus was his friend, he liked him like a friend and he was going to take care of him like a friend. 

"No Klaus, you're getting sober and I promise to help you, but you need to get in control. I swear I'll hold you down all night if I have to." He told him, trying to stay stern even after realizing how the last part sounded. Klaus was still sniffly, but he huffed and dropped his head in defeat against his chest. 

"That last bit sounded kinky" he said after a while, sounding a bit more like himself. 

"Yeah, it did. wasn't my intention though." Dave chuckled, glancing down at Klaus and grinning at the little smirk he was trying to hide. 

Klaus snorted and they both started to laugh, laid on the couch together, neither of them sure of what time of night it even was.   
___________________________________

"Do you want oatmeal?" 

Klaus vehemently shook his head no, "oatmeal makes me think of dead nannies." 

A look of horror crossed Dave's face.

"Childhood trauma, we keep her in the box with all the others." He replied, snipping the conversation in the bud. Dave thankfully let it be snipped and returned to surveying his pantry. 

"Okay, maybe not eggs, I'm thinking some toast with butter and jam, but I'm scared it won't be enough though, hmm waffles?" He held out a box of waffle mix to Kluas, not expecting the sheer unfiltered excitement the single item would elicit from him. 

"Oh my God, you have homemade waffles, you can make homemade waffles! No! We should make them together!" Klaus was out of his chair, grabbing the box and avidly reading the instructions. Dave smiled, already pulling out his mixer and other ingredients. He was happy that Klaus was happy, surprised that it was waffle mix that got him so hyped; He had two other boxes of the stuff, loved waffles and French toast, but he didn't get to eat them as often, Preston always telling him it was too much carbs and to think about his figure. He rolled his eyes just thinking about it. He was glad to be back in New York and out of Hollywood and didn't look forward to returning at all. 

"I can only ever afford the frozen ones, my mom used to make us waffles all the time, would decorate them with little faces made out of fruit and whipped cream. We're all in our thirties and she still does it everytime we visit, but we're too soft to ask her to stop, especially my brother Diego-" Klaus chattered on, sitting on the counter and swinging his legs while Dave got to work on the waffles, nodding his head along to everything he said. It was nice, felt almost organic in comparison to the rigid mornings of tofu scramble and protein shakes he was used to. Day in and day out of him eating alone and watching TV in the living room, while Preston updated his social media at the table. It was routine, but it felt nicer to have someone to talk to while he made one of his favorite foods, awkward silences fewer and far between.   
___________________________

They ate at the table together, a chair pulled out for Ben with his own plate and mug of coffee set out for him. Klaus was eating more waffles then he had expected, but he never asked him to slow down, even if he ended up puking it all up again, he was just too relieved to see him actually eating, reassured that he had an appetite after all. 

"I probably look like a total pig, I'm usually not this hungry this early in my detox, but these are like, really good!" He gushed, stuffing another bite into his mouth, then snapping his head to the seat next to him. 

"I'm serious Ben, if you could eat them too, you would agree with me!" 

Dave felt his face heat up, "thanks, I just put everything together in the mixer." 

Klaus grinned around his mouth full, extending an arm out at Dave and turning a smug smile back at his brother, "See Ben, a man of exceptional skill." 

It wasn't long after that before Klaus was back in the bathroom, crouched over the toilet and saying goodbye to his waffle breakfast. Dave was in the exact same spot as last time, rubbing his back, but keeping a closer eye on him in case he tried to leave again.

"Puking is the worst. I don't want a stomach no more, I don't deserve this." Klaus was glassy eyed, his hair pulled back in bobby pins at Dave's suggestion and his face a complete mess that he was trying to wipe away with his bare hand alone.

Dave grimaced, "No one does, now come on, let me help you clean up." He said, flushing the toilet and flipping the lid back down then guiding Klaus to sit over it, before wetting the corner of a towel. 

"I just realized something." Klaus stated between strokes of the towel over his mouth and face. 

"Hmm, what's that?" Dave put the towel in the hamper once satisfied that Klaus was clean, then bent down to search through the cabinet for a thermometer,

"That you're the mom friend." Klaus snickered. 

Dave stood in front of him, the found thermometer in hand, "is that a bad thing?" 

Klaus shook his head, "No, it's kinda cute." He declared, opening his mouth for Dave to pop the thermometer in, like a baby bird waiting for supper. 

'You're kinda cute', Dave retorted back in his head, thankful that he had a mind to keep it there this time. Friends called each other cute, Audry and the Kellies' did it all the time. 

A moment later, the thermometer beeped and Dave took it out of his mouth, frowning at the high temperature it was reading. "Alright, you need to lie down again, I'm going to get you some ice water to drink." 

"I'm not tired though." 

, "you don't have to sleep, just rest." Dave said, entering the kitchen, Klaus not far behind him.

"Can we watch TV at least?" He asked, taking the glass of water Dave had filled for him.

"Of course we can." Dave didn't even know why he had to ask. 

They spent the rest of the day on the couch, watching movies on Dave's Netflix account, only getting up for bathroom breaks or to order pizza and make popcorn, but always returning to their spots next to each other, slowly curling closer, heads on shoulders, arms around waists, none of them the wiser to how they were both simultaneously thinking just how perfect it all felt.

_____________________________________

"Klaus?" Dave had woken up on the couch again, expecting an arm full of Klaus to still be on top of him, but was empty handed. He got up, stepping over the mess of popcorn kernels and pizza boxes, making a mental note to clean it up before Preston got home. Preston, his stomach sank, he hadn't been paying attention to his messages, but he knows it usually took him three to four days to cool off after a fight. He wasn't sure what to do. Ask Klaus to leave? Tell Preston to stay away a little longer? It was his home too. 

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" 

His head snapped up, it was Klaus and it was coming from the bathroom. He rushed in, his panic rising at finding him in a heap on the floor, body coiled tight as he covered his ears. 

"What-what's wrong?" He crouched down trying to pry his hands from his head, but Klaus fought him off.

"No. No. No. No. They found me!" He yelled, curling himself even tighter, as if he could disappear into the floor if he tried hard enough. 

Dave was at a loss, this looked bad, it wasn't a seizure and it wasn't him trying to escape in a desperate haze, it was something he didn't know how to handle. 

"Klaus, who? Who's found you? What's going on, tell me how I can help?" He pleaded, trying to decipher his hysteric murmurings, but he didn't budge, just kept telling 'them' to go away and asking for 'it' to stop. He was so scared, Klaus was scared of something Dave couldn't see and that terrified him on principal alone, because he didn't know how to help, when all he wanted to do was make all his fears go away. 

"Klaus, please, please tell me what to do?" He dragged him off the floor and tucked him against his chest, pressing his head in the crook of his neck as he began to hyperventilate, sending Dave even deeper into his own panic. But he had to stay calm, the two of them flying off the rails wasn't an option. 

"Klaus' please, just breath." Dave couldn't get through to him, couldn't get past a noise that only he was hearing. His eyes blurred with his own tears, feeling a kind of raw, bone deep terror and helplessness that gripped him all the way down to his soul. And all he could do was sit there, completely useless, holding onto Klaus as he shook apart, violent pleas to be left alone distorting his voice between the numerous gulps of air he couldn't hold in. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for an answer to this. A cold gust of air burst into the room, the lights flickered out and he felt Klaus be tugged out of his grip, he was confused and struggled to pull Klaus back to him. 

"HE'S GOING TO PASS OUT! NOW GET HIM IN A COLD SHOWER!" A voice boomed, startling Dave back to the moment. The bathroom was dark, but he recognized the voice as Ben. He could just barely see his outline as he worked to get Klaus over to the shower. He quickly got up to help. 

"No. No. No. No. Please dad! No. No. no." Klaus screamed, thrashing in their grasp. 

"It's a fucking flash back! I don't have long to stay manifested, he's going to try and break out as soon as you close this door, you're going to have to get him in there and hold him still." Dave didn't bother to ask questions, just pulled Klaus firmly to his chest, crossing his arms and holding them in place as he pressed the two of them to the farthest corner of the shower. Seconds later, the shower head turned on, spraying them both with frigid water. The lights came back on not long after, the bathroom empty except for the two of them. Klaus was calming down, shaking like a leaf and shuddering brokenkly as he slowly caught his breath. 

"Muh-my d-dad used t-to lock, lock muh-me i-in a maus-mausoleum." He stuttered wetly into his shoulder. Dave gulped, silently nodding at Klaus' admission, sadly growing accustomed to his morbid childhood antidotes. 

"Yeah, that's fucked up Klaus." He breathed, hugging him just a little bit tighter. 

A few minutes later, he turned the water off, Klaus was still a shaking, teeth chattering clump that sank to the shower floor, wrapping his arms tightly around his legs. Dave stepped out and stripped off his soaked shirt and sweats, too emotionally exhausted for modesty as he walked in his soggy underwear to his room where he quickly changed into a new pair before returning to Klaus. 

"You're going to get hyperthermia, do you think you can manage getting out of these?" He asked softly, kneeled down in front of him and tugging at the wet fabric of his joggers. Klaus looked at them, then back to Dave, water droplets clinging to his lashes, his lips blue and pale and quivering under the intensity of his shivers. His eyes were dark and heavy lidded with just the barest amount of lucidity. Klaus shook his head no. 

Dave sighed, he was hoping for a yes, but getting Klaus warm and dry again was his top priority "okay, Klaus, I need you to be as cognitive as possible for me.", He grabbed his chin lightly, forcing their eyes together and searching for a sign that he was getting through to him even just a little,"Do I have your consent to help you?" He continued, gripping the waistband of his joggers to further elaborate what he was asking permission to do. Again, Klaus slowly glanced down at the hand grabbing his pants, then back at Dave, a beat later he nodded his head yes. 

"Alright, I'm taking them off now." He narrated, pulling the knot loose from the drawstrings, then hooking his hands over the hem and pulling down. He kept his focus on Klaus the entire time, gauging his every reaction, tuning into his emotions and monitoring his aura, solid grey; Klaus was pretty damn numb at the moment. 

His pulse thumped heavily; he could feel his own temperature rising by the second as Klaus raised his legs for him to pull the pants the rest of the way off his feet. After tossing the heavy lump of fabric to the side, he got up to retrieve a towel, handing it to Klaus while keeping his eyes above his chest, "you could have told me you needed underwear."- He stated, stomach swooping at the tiny half smirk Klaus gave him in reply, the hollowness in his eyes fading just a bit more. 

"You're a little minx, you know that?" He quipped, shaking his head but grinning non the less as he helped him to stand and wrap the towel around himself. Klaus smiled bigger, everything about his expression telling Dave he did know and was particularly proud about it. 

______________________________

The morning was coming to an end, the clock reading a quarter to noon and Klaus was almost completely back to his normal self. He was still on the quieter side, jumpy and hissing into the air at random moments. Dave let him be, though, didn't ask any questions knowing it would only drive Klaus further back into himself. 

"Thank you." Klaus told him, his newly dried joggers on as he sat on the counter again, watching Dave make lunch. 

"It was no problem." He replied back easily. 

"Dave, I'm sorry that you-" 

Before he could even finish the thought, he pressed a finger to his lips, -"No, nope. Don't apologise, never apologize Klaus Hargreeves."- He whispered, his voice breathy and far more sincere then he had been intending. It was supposed to be a light hearted reference to an inside joke between friends, but the moment their eyes met, the moment he moved a little closer then he needed to, the moment he touched his face, his finger slowly switching to a thumb that stroked across his bottom lip, down his chin, his gaze roving from his face and further down then back again, his heart pounding as Klaus smirked back at him. He should let go, stop his hand from wandering any further then it already has, but then Klaus grabbed his cheek, pulling him in and touching their foreheads together.

"Never" he breathed out, the tension finally boiling over and Dave couldn't stop himself from closing the distance, their mouths crashing together in a frenzy. He slotting himself between his open legs, a fire filling his veins at the friction he found there. He grabbed the small of his back and tugged him forward and off the counter, palming under his things as he hiked him higher. Klaus groaned and hooked his legs around his waist, his hands grappling at his shoulders and sliding through his hair. 

"Oh fuck!" He grunted as Dave pushed him against the fridge, sending magnets and post it notes clattering to the floor. He pressed himself even closer into him, their hips grinding and gyrating to no real rhyme, just desprate motions, rubbing harder and closer, chasing, chasing-"fuck, of fuck!" Klaus mewled into his ear, sounding so completely debauched; He shuddered from head to toe, grunting in agreement against his mouth. He knew he was fucked, friends didn't do this. They shouldn't be doing this, but it felt so good, Klaus felt so, so fucking good. He just wanted to be selfish. Just once, he wanted to take something he knew he shouldn't have. 

"What the fuck!!" The front door slammed open. they startled and broke apart, Klaus sliding back to ground as they turned to see Preston stood in the doorway. Dave froze, he felt like a deer caught in the headlights. -"You changed your... hair." He stated dumbly. 

Preston had it cut and restyled, colored a charcoal black, definitely complementing his current red, murder stricken face. He was angrier then he'd ever seen him in the five years they had been together. It was scary. Dave was honestly scared.

"Great, now he looks like a miniature Norman Bates. " Klaus crowed, adjusting himself through the fabric of his joggers, lips spit slik and ruddy, hair in disarray and looking far too comfortable in such a state. Dave didn't think Preston could get any redder, but he did and he was worried he might burst a blood vessel. 

"David. Outside. NOW!" Preston ordered, pointing out the door. Dave felt a bucket of cold dread roll over him at the prospect of facing Preston when he was like this. 

"Dave, you don't have to do anything he says if you don't want to." Klaus grabbed his shoulder, his eyes pleading with him to stay. He shook his head and shrugged his hand off, following Preston out and closing the door after him. 

They stood in the corridor, Preston a rigid stoney statue with his arms crossed and nose flared in his exertion to contain himself, "How could you do this to me Dave?" 

He felt like an anchor in free fall in the middle of the ocean, he didn't know what to say, shame and guilt engulfed him, it was like he could barely move under the weight of it.

"ANSWER ME!" 

He flinched back, his eyes spilling over with tears. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He sobbed. 

Preston sneered, "oh my God. Stop that. why are you crying? You know who should be crying Dave? ME! Cause you're the one who cheated on ME, with that basket case, pill popping, junky slut!" 

A heavy bang was heard from behind them, "I can hear you!" Came Klaus' muffled voice through the wall.

"GOOD, THEN YOU'LL HEAR ME WHEN I SAY, GET. THE. FUCK. OUT, YOU STUPID FUCKING HOMEWRECKER!" Preston screamed, no doubt alerting every last one of their neighbours to the domestic dispute. They were at least used to it by now. 

The door yanked open, Klaus stepping out and between he and Preston. -"How about YOU leave asshole. You're nothing but a rotten, self entitled, angry little man and I've had it with you abusing Dave."

Klaus stood with his arms crossed in front of him, his back straight and tense, his stance wide, no doubt ready for a fight. Dave didn't want that though, didn't want either of them hurt. 

"Klaus, don't" he tried to reel him back and out of Preston's face, but he stayed put. 

"No Dave, he's a prick and you don't deserve to be treated this way." He growled back, still glaring Preston down and acting as Dave's personal shield. 

"I am not abusive, I haven't laid a hand on Dave once." Preston scoffed, looked around Klaus to Dave for confirmation. 

He nodded his head in agreement, "He's right Klaus, he's never touched me, it's not what it looks like." 

Klaus turned to him, a softer expression on his face, "this is exactly what it looks like. I told you Dave, I've been in far too many shitty situations just like this and I didn't think it was abuse either, but just because it's not physical, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. He's hurting you Dave and I know for a fact that these kinds of wounds take far longer to heal than others." 

He was silent, his mind whirling, Klaus was making sense, but-"Dave, he needs to leave."- Preston sniffled, wiping his eyes, fresh tear tracks present on his cheeks.

"Those are alligator tears Dave, don't let him play you like this." 

He looked between the two of them, his heart thumping a defending beat, blood rushing past his ears, he felt so overwhelmed. Everything was falling apart and he didn't know if he could hold it together. 

"Dave, we've been together for five years, you hardly know this guy. I'm willing to work this out with you because I love you, but he needs to leave for us to do that. You still want an 'us' don't you? Please, just prove to me that you can still be faithful." Preston's voice wavered, he hated making him cry, but this was so much worse, cause for the first time, Dave could see his aura had a tinge of color. The smokey grey tinted the slightest bit blue. The floor dropped out from under him as he realized just how badly he had broken his heart and yet, Preston was giving him another chance. He didn't deserve it, not with this royal fuck up. 

"Klaus, you should collect your things." He said shakily, keeping his eyes downcast. His chest hurting even more at the wave of grief that doused him. 

"Dave, you can't be serious?" Klaus asked, blinking back tears. 

He shook his head,"I am, I told you Klaus, I love Preston, we've been together for five years, I'm not throwing that away." 

He heard him breath in a shaky breath, "yeah, but you're throwing me away." 

His chest felt like it was going to break apart, cause he could feel Klaus really believed that, he wanted to hug him, but the sound of Preston loudly clearing his throat reminded him of what had to be done. Standing up straighter, his voice a little firmer, he looked Klaus in the eye, "Klaus, I really do care about you and I hope one day we can still be friends, but what happened between us, was never meant to happen, it...it.." he trailed off, his courage quickly draining at the sight of him. He didn't think he could do it, didn't know if he even believed it himself. 

"A mistake, Is what Dave means to say. You in particular, were a bad, very bad, venereal disease ridden mistake." Preston finished for him, much to Dave's carnage, then pulled the door open, an arm waving to it in direction for Klaus to enter and quickly leave. 

"Yeah, alright" Klaus replied curtly, his face hard and jaw clenched as he entered the condo at a stilted pace. He stepped out of his joggers in the middle of the living room, then walked buck naked into the washroom, coming back out half zipped into his skirt and pulling his tank top on, before moving to the couch and reaching under the blanket for the stuffed bat. 

"Is that the bat you bought for me!" Preston asked, stopping Klaus in his tracks. Dave could only nod his head yes. 

"Thought so. Give it here." He commanded, holding his hand out expectantly. 

Klaus glowered, "Dave said I could have it." 

"Neat. I don't care." Preston sniped, flapping his hand in the 'gimme' gesture. 

Klaus hesitantly put it in Preston's palm, but didn't let go of it just yet,"I put my cock and balls on it."- he said bluntly. 

Preston removed his hand like it was a hot plate, "Oh my God, eww, get the fuck out already." 

Klaus grinned, tucking the bat under his arm and leaving, not a single last word to be said as he softly closed the door behind him. It was too anticlimactic, Dave had the strongest urge to give chase, find out what he thought of him now. To be yelled at, told off, cause he knew Klaus was hurting too, maybe more then Preston, telling by the way he was already down the hall, running himself a shower and leaving Dave alone with his thoughts once again. He missed his company already, feeling cold and hollowed out, like a gutted pumpkin, not even a candle to keep him warm.

There was a flicker above him, looking up he could see the ceiling light fluctuating rapidly from dim to bright. A chill settled over the room, he breathed out and could see his own breath. Understanding dawned on him just as a high hiss resonated from every light in the house. He heard Preston scream as every last light burst, sending their home into temporary darkness.

"Strike two!" A voice barked over his shoulder, Dave nodded a fresh set of tears rolling down his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking once I finish this, I might do like a series of one shots of them. Like snapshots of their life after the story. I dunno, I'm thinking about it. 
> 
> Feel free to give me your constructive criticism, I used word document to edit it like somone had suggested, so thank you again cause I honestly wouldn't have thought of that. so, I'm hoping it's a lot cleaner to read now. I'm always ready for improvement.


	6. Give them blood.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things pick up right where they left off, everyone gets Charecter development, Dave eventually gets his head out of his ass. Klaus gets Super sober, then he gets Super Pissed. And Preston gets his ass handed to him multiple times in the same day. It's all very intense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god!! So first off, I'm super sorry I went on an impromptu haitus, I started a new job like imediatly after I posted the last chapter and I basically had the outline, but non of the magic to really bring it together, so I've been working on it ever since to make it the best it can be and hit all the notes I was originally wanting to in the story(I probably still missed a few and some scenes could use a little more reworking, but I just really wanted to get it out.) And so kt basically cumulated into the longest chapter yet, so I hope it might make up for the wait, also apologies in advance for any errors I might have missed.

Ch 6. Give them blood.

His legs were sore and his feet were definitely developing some blisters, he'd been walking for over an hour now. He probably looked ridiculous as he stomped around in the same clothes he'd left home in, a stuffed bat clutched in his hand and looking lost as hell, trying and failing to navigate his way back to Vanya. He didn't really know if she was even home or still in the hospital. It probably didn't matter, seeing as he had no idea where he was. well, the ritzier part of New York, but that was about it. He hadn't bothered to read any street signs when he left. He was too angry, too hurt, he just wanted to get as far away from Dave and Preston as soon as possible. 

His eyes stung with tears that he tried to will away. He could still feel the ghost of Dave's lips on his and how his hands felt when they held him. His kind eyes and soft touches. His teeth on his neck when they were mauling each other in the kitchen, before Preston ruined it. It filled him with all sorts of rage, the weasily prick was no good for Dave, but he had him fucking trained like a dog. It wasn't right, people like that didn't deserve people like Dave. Granted, people like him didn't deserve people like Dave either, but he at least wasn't a stone faced bitch. He's known way too many assholes like that not to see through Preston's manipulation, he just hoped one day he could help Dave see it too. 

"Klaus!" Ben yelled, just as a car swerved out of the way, it's horn blaring at him for crossing an intersection at a green light. He couldn't care less though, flipped the angry driver the bird and just kept on walking. 

"Klaus, I understand you're upset, I don't blame you, but you're going to get yourself killed." Ben grabbed his hand, stopping Klaus in the middle of the sidewalk. He was ready to tell his brother to lay off, when his palm began to glow. The blue light spreading to Ben, who flashed into existence. The sound of squealing wheels and crunching metal startled them apart. They looked towards the noise to see two cars had witnessed the anomaly and we're now a smashed, smoking wreck with traffic quickly piling up behind them on both sides. 

"Shit!" He hissed, already jogging away from the scene.

They made it to a secluded park they determined was far enough away from the commotion they had unintentionally created. 

"Okay.. sober Klaus...has no idea how... to control this." He said between breaths, braced against a tree, sweat dripping from his brow, and teetering a little too far forward. 

Ben's eyes widened, "Dammit Klaus, you still have a fever!"- he threw his arms out, but this time when Klaus tipped over, he fell right through him, face-planting into the grass. 

___________________________

Looking at his phone, it was close to midnight, yet he was laid awake in bed, staring blankly at the time and feeling....odd. He turned it off, putting it away just as he felt Preston shift next to him. 

"Whats wrong Davey baby, didn't like the make up sex?" Preston leered, a stray finger drawing circles over his chest. 

"I-it was fine." He said, turning to pull Preston in for a kiss in hopes of getting him to stop talking, but Preston like always, wasn't satisfied and pushed him back.

"Just, fine?" He drawled. 

Dave breathed a sigh, "it was amazing."- he conceded, putting as much sincerity into it as possible. 

Preston grinned, "bet I was a thousand times better than that ugly junkie bitch." 

He tensed up, his nerves grating at the immature insults, "stop calling him that, you might not like him, but that doesn't mean he deserves to be spoken about that way." 

Preston wrinkled his nose and sat up in bed, "He deserves to be put in a fucking mental home!" 

"He's not a bad person and he's not crazy either." He sat up too, shaking his head at Preston, though he wouldn't see it in the dark.

"Couch." 

"What?"

"I. SAID. COUCH! you're still not on my side Dave. I thought you would be, especially after how you betrayed me today, but I guess you haven't learned your lesson. So, you can sleep on the couch from here on out. Go jack off to thoughts of anorexic junkie gutter scum, apparently that's what you like now!" 

Dave didn't protest and quietly walked out of the room. In a way, he was relieved to be back on the couch. It felt a lot more comfortable then he remembers it ever being and the blanket he and Kluas' had been using was still there. Laying down, he pulled it over himself and pressed it to his face, it smelt a little bit like the popcorn and pizza they ate yesterday, and a little bit like the chocolate they had also gotten into, but more than that, it smelt like him. 

He breathed in a second time, his blood rushing in all directions, the scent bringing back vivid memories of Klaus laid over top of him during their many naps together. He watched the moments play through his head like a movie, Klaus coming out of the shower, damp with a healthy flush to his skin. Klaus in nothing but a towel as he sat atop the dryer, waiting for his joggers to finish. Klaus on the kitchen counter. Klaus in his arms, against the fridge, in his lap, if only he had gotten him in his lap. His skin buzzed and tingled, he felt hotter than he was moments ago with Preston.

He breathed heavily, shame making him retract his hand from his pants, realizing he was doing exactly what Preston said he would do. Maybe he was more messed up then he thought, or maybe he had made the wrong decision after all. He couldn't help but think about him, wondering if Klaus had gotten home alright; he hadn't had the chance to check his temperature again before he left and he didn't get to eat lunch either. He should look for him, make sure he wasn't lost or-"Dave?" 

The bedroom door creaked open, Preston walked out wrapped in nothing but a bed sheet. "Dave?"- he called again.

He lifted his head up, "yeah?" 

Preston came the rest of the way over, draping himself down on top of him, he was crying again. He folded his arms around him, brows creased in concern "what's wrong?" 

Preston sniffed,"I'm sorry Dave, I know I've been mean lately and maybe that's why you're seeking other company, but I don't want that. I don't want you to leave me. I love you so much." 

He frowned, noticing he could feel Preston's heartache, his jealousy and fear of abandonment. He used to always question if Preston could feel anything at all, but he never worried about it, cause, though not as frequently as himself, Preston did express his emotions. Cried, yelled, laughed, he was normal on the outside, so Dave assumed it was his psychic abilities that kept him from peeking in on the inside. Now though, he was stumped. was it that his emotions were strong enough that he could finally tune into them? Cause if so, Dave had a responsibility to make up for causing that kind of hurt.

"Hay, shh, shh, it's alright. I'm not going anywhere, Preston, I promise. I fucked up today, you have every right to be angry at me. I know things have been tense between us, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up on you, cause I know you wouldn't give up on me." 

Preston nodded his head, and pressed a wet kiss to his cheek, "Never, I'd never give up on you Dave, I want this to work." 

He kissed Preston back, pushing all his odd feelings down in favor of giving his boyfriend the attention he deserved, grateful for the second chance; Silently telling himself he would find Klaus again when things settled down, that he'd apologies then and see if they could still be friends, cause he still cared about him. He cared more then he had any right to. 

________________________________

"How long has he been out for?" A feminine voice asked. 

Klaus groaned, his face scrunching in discomfort, the dried blood on his nose itching something terrible. 

"Let's see, I found him three hours ago, so I'd say more than three hours." 

"Five, go get a washcloth plea-" 

"Already got one" 

_______________________

Klaus was back on Dave's couch, a box of chocolates on his lap, Dave sat behind him, his arms around his waist and some TV show playing in the background. 

"I love you." He whispered into his ear. Klaus smiled, feeling happier in that moment then he ever had in his entire life.

"I love you too." He whispered back. 

The front door swung open, it shook the walls sending the entire room plummeting. Klaus fell, seeing no end below him and screaming for Dave. 

"Junkie slut!" Echoed from all around him. He covered his ears.

"I'm not!" He screamed back. 

"Yes, You are!" 

"Dave!" He whipped his head around, but it was darkness everywhere he looked. 

"How many times have you been to rehab!?" 

"Shut up! Just shut up!" He stopped falling, he was on solid ground. It was still too dark to see, but he could feel the floor beneath him. He heard footsteps off in the distance, turning his head in the direction of it, he saw a door open, light pouring out as a figure emerged through the doorway. 

"Dave!" He called, knowing it was him without a doubt. He walked closer, noticing someone was held in his arms. He tilted his head, seeing that it was himself Dave was holding. Just as quickly as he realized it, the landscape changed. Looking around, he saw that they were at a landfill. Mounds of garbage surrounded them, they stood on the largest hill, overlooking the entirety of it. It was all trash, but the closer he looked, the more of himself he saw staring back. He got the metaphor loud and clear, which is why he panicked even more as Dave stood at the edge, still holding his body. 

"Of course I'd choose Preston over a fuck up junkie slut." He chided to the unconscious? Dead? Klaus didn't know what was wrong with his body or why Dave was talking to it like that. 

"Dave! Dave please!" He got up and ran towards him, shouting for his attention, but Dave only seemed to get farther away. He finally gave up, slumping to his knees as Dave dropped his body down into the landfill, into the mountains of himself all discarded and collecting in the giant pit. He felt himself go with it, dropping again and drowning. He couldn't breath, but he couldn't swim either. He was dying. He was- 

"FUUUUUUUUK" he shot up, breathing in a deep gulps of air, shivering like a wet Chihuahua even though he felt like a baked potato. Sweat dripped from his forehead, his shirt soaked through and sticking to his back and tucked under his arm was his bat, the fluffy creatures fur clutched in his fingers. 

"And he rises once again." Five quipped, at least he thought it was Five. He had the same face structure and eyes, same attitude for sure, but he was taller, broader, with his hair cut in a smart quiff and wearing an even smarter suit. 

"Huh, what happened to the uniform, It was kind of your thing?" He asked on a calmer breath, stroking over the plushies body as he gradually came back to himself. 

Five rolled his eyes, "Grew out of it, don't worry though, you'll see it again in a couple of years." 

Klaus blinked, not even trying to attempt to figure out what that meant. "I'm at Vanya's."- he commented instead, recognizing her living room easily. 

"You are." He confirmed. 

"How did i-?"

"I was running some errands and found you face down in the middle of a park, at first I thought you were under the influence again and was tempted to leave you, but-" 

"I saved your ass." Ben grinned, walking out from the kitchen, Five turning to look at him just as he did. 

"You can see him?" He asked, snapping his head back to Five, who nodded in answer.

He stood up, rushing to Ben and grabbing his face, smooshing his cheeks around and gaping at the feeling of skin, Ben's skin.- "You're corpal, Ben you're corpal!"-He shouted, he was the most solid he's ever felt him, almost alive if it weren't for the constant chill that clung to him.

"We're not too sure how you're doing it, but it does mean you're actually sober, so congrats." Five tipped his head in acknowledgment. 

"Thanks." He breathed out, feeling strangely proud for his accomplishment, even though he had no idea how he accomplished it to begin with. 

"I'm guessing Dave helped?" 

His smile dropped, "h-how do you know about Dave?" 

Five smirked, looking pleased in that special way of his, like he'd just had another one of his speculations confirmed, chances were, he did,"you were mumbling his name throughout the entirety of your nightmare." 

He was quite for a beat, the corners of his lips quirking up the slightest amount,-"It didn't start out as a nightmare." -He responded softly, his mind already going back to that first domestic scene that felt more like a memory then a configuration of his mind. 

"Is Klaus awake?" Vanya asked, coming down the hall, she was in her pajamas, her face still bandaged and littered in green and yellow bruises, but what really stuck out to him behind that, was the rosey blush and the remnants of a smile settling out as if she had been laughing just moments ago. Klaus hadn't heard laughing, but then again, he wasn't paying much attention either. 

"Yeah, I'm awake." He answered, his eyes squinting in suspicion, cause Vanya's pajamas weren't her usual pajamas. They were a little longer, and a lot more pink. Vanya never wore pink. 

"Nice pants" he said, growing increasingly curious at Vanya reaction. Her very flustered, giggiely reaction. 

His eyes widened, "Oh my God! You have a lady over!" 

Vanya went impossibly redder, her head shaking no, but she wasn't verbally denying it either. 

Klaus gasped- "Vanya! You got laid! I have to meet her." 

He walked right past her protesting little hands that were unsuccessfully trying to stop him, and swung her door wide open, his excitement quickly diminishing at the women sat on Vanya's bed. 

She waved hesitantly back, obviously just as surprised to see him as he was her. 

He was silent, then turned back to his sister who stood in the hallway, her face in her hands,-"Vanya, you're fucking the enemy." -He stated, feeling his horror rise at the sight of all the lavender candles, manicure kit, ice cream being eaten out of the carton, and mean girls playing on the TV. How many betrayals could he take? 

"Klaus, it's not what it looks like!" Vanya assured, coming into the room to put space between him and her guest. 

"Oh, I've heard that before." He scoffed, folding his arms. 

"Klaus, just come sit down, let us do your nails and we'll explain everything." Vanya said, tugging him towards the bed, Audry quickly making room for him and grabbing the manicure kit. 

He hesitated, but then thought about how long it's been since he's had his nails done and the stressful week he's had. "Fine, but if I'm not convinced by the time my nails are done, then I'm crash you're guy's big gay wedding!" 

"What makes you think we're getting married?" She challenged.

Klaus narrowed his eyes, "Oh don't act like you don't know how fast you lesbians move." 

"Can we get to the story?" Ben asked, materializing on the bed, startling all three of them. 

_________________________________

10:20 am. Hospital. Vanya's room. 

Vanya had finally calmed down, the nurses eventually persuaded to leave here alone again, stubborn guests included. The door clicked shut softly and she immediately swerved her head towards the girl still stood awkwardly in the corner. Her eyes wide as she jumped in surprise at the severity of the stare directed towards her.

"Who are you and why are you here?" 

She came forward, shoving the stuffed bear and single rose into Vanya's hands, her face pink and pensive. "My name's Audry, I was part of the group that started this whole mess and I wanted to apologise." 

Vanya set the gifts aside, not looking the least bit convinced, "I don't believe you" 

Audry nodded her head, "I don't blame you, I've been a bitch for the majority of my life and I used to think it was okay, but then I saw you get hurt. Like actually hurt. I mean, it was just you against all those people, you didn't even do that mind force thingy and you were bleeding! The cops had to actually pry people off you-" 

"I get it! It was very traumatic!" She cut in, willing her pulse back to a healthy beat, less she set the machines off again. 

Aurdy grinned, grabbing Vanya's hands between hers, "Exactly! It was so traumatic to see that and realize I was part of the cause for it! I couldn't live with myself knowing that. I wanted to at least apologize and tell you that I no longer want to be that person anymore. I'll literally do whatever it takes to prove it to you." 

Vanya still wasn't too impressed, but Audry was here making an effort, not a lot of people put in effort for her, plus she was kinda cute. Big eyes, wavy brown hair with a button nose, she was her type, definitely, but that didn't have to mean anything. At least that's what she told herself.

"Okay, glad you ladies are bff's now, but can we please get back to why I'm here?" Five stood up, adjusting his tie, a hard look in his eyes as he addressed them.   
________________________

"I'm really not as bad as I made myself come off as when we first met, I only acted that way cause it's how I cope with my own insecurities and after seeing what happened to Vanay, I couldn't keep living like that, knowing my actions helped cause it. So I apologised and agreed to help you guys get back at Preston." Audry said, her eyes watery and red as she spoke. 

Klaus wanted to be angry and let her have it, but the rationale, sober side of him, knew it wasn't solely her fault for what happened and especially after his last interaction with Preston, he could use whatever allies he could get if he was taking the bastard down. "I don't trust you completely, mainly because I can never trust someone who'd willingly be friends with someone like Preston, I mean have you seen the way he treats Dave!" 

Audry bit her lip, her face grim, "I was friends with Preston before I was friends with Dave, but I have seen a change in their dynamic recently. I'd tried talking to Preston about it and he always found a way to make it look like Dave's fault."

His jaw clenched, he was pissed, pissed that he hadn't been the only one to see the way Dave was being treated, that people who had known him for longer had seen it and didn't step up, at least not in the way they were supposed to. 

Audry started crying, realizing what Klaus already knew, "I'm seeing now, that maybe I should have gone to Dave first and I'm disgusted with myself that I let it happen. I let Preston mess with my head and it took me this long to realize he was manipulating us. " 

He relaxed a bit more, reminding himself that although Aurdy wasn't Dave, she was still just as much a victim of Preston's toxicity as he was and had just as much healing to do as him. He hated to do it, wished it was Dave he could hug, but Dave wasn't here and Audry was the one who needed it. He pulled her into a gentle embrace, feeling strange to hold a slighter body in comparison to Dave's comfortable bulk. 

"A very handsome man once told me, he believed everyone had time for growth and redemption." Audry looked up at him, her eyes big and surprised, then she smiled. 

"Whatever you need, I'll do it, I'll help you. Preston thinks we're still friends and that I'm at my mom's right now, I can get all kinds of information out of him. We're gonna play that bitch like a kazoo!" 

Klaus laughed, deciding he was going to like Audry more than he first thought. "I like your spirit chick, pun intended." He winked, then got up to leave Vanya alone with her...maybe.... romantic interest? God he hoped so, she really needed to get laid. 

Before he could open the door though, Audry called out for him to wait.

"Hmm?" He asked. 

"Do you...maybe want to...join our slumber party?" 

Klaus paused, "I like slumber parties." 

_____________________________________

It was dark, he stood in a long hallway, a tiny light miles down the only indication that it had an end. 

"H-hello?" He called out, a puff of vapor exiting his mouth, it was cold. A burst of icy wind blew past him, knocking him on his ass. 

"Strike two!" "Strike two!" Reverberated around him, rattling the foundation underneath him. 

"I'm sorry!" He cried back to it, forcing himself to stand, but his body felt impossibly heavy. 

"Strike two!" "Strike two!" 

The ground shook, cracking and splintering. He was thrown to his stomach, he didn't try to get up again, just laid there as he shook, screaming his apologies to the angry spirit. 

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Soft hands gripped his chin, he felt a warm calm wash over him. The shaking stopped, the booming voice dulling to a low, soothing hum. 

"Don't apologise, never apologize Dave Katz." 

He recognized that voice, he recognized it just as much as he recognized the gentle hands stroking through his hair and cupping his face. He kept his eyes closed, wanting to luxuriate in the comfort, already anticipating the emerald eyes he'd meet the moment he would open them. 

"Don't apologise, never apologize- DAVE! DAVE! DAVE!" Something pinched his nose, he couldn't breath. Springing awake, he gasped for air, gulping in lung full after lung full before turning his attention to the weight in his lap. Grey eyes peered into his. 

"Good morning D." Preston greeted cheerily, smacking a kiss to his cheek.

Dave took a moment to collect himself, blinking as he reacclimated to reality, realizing he'd been dreaming. 

"Just, just a dream." He reassured himself, rubbing a hand over his sweaty forehead. 

"Sounded more like a nightmare to me." Preston commented

He nodded in agreement, then stopped, a slow smile curling on his lips, "Didn't end like a nightmare." 

Preston smirked, "aww, cause I woke you up?" 

"Uh, yeah" Dave nodded, not paying attention to what he said, his mind already back to that sliver of a moment where all the chaos had been muted, the soft hands he had melted into. The comfort they gave him. 

Preston threw his arms around his neck, "I'm your hero aren't I?" 

"Yeah, my hero." Dave returned the hug, snapshots of emerald eyes and gentle hands playing through his head. 

_______________________________________

"Soooo, what's our game plan?" Ben asked, blowing on his bright green nails while Audry got to work on his left hand. 

"Well, I was thinking we could.."Klaus started before shoving a spoon full of mint chip in his mouth, "maybe get like one of those twitties going, and like…" another spoon full, "have a hashtag, like hastag Preston is cancelled and Bam! His whole career is dead!"

"Please tell me you were being ironic?" Adury grimaced. 

Klaus blinked, swallowing his mouth full, "for once in my life, I'm not..why, what I say?" 

"Okay, first and foremost, it's called twitter, and second, cancel culture isn't as effective as it might look." She said, putting the last stroke to Ben's pinkie.

He frowned-"Elaborate."-he demanded, gesturing to her with his spoon. 

Audry huffed, "This week, #PrestonPentagramiscancled had been trending. Like me, a good chunk of his fans weren't happy with the videos of Vanya's attack." 

"The hell kind of name is preston-pentagram, and how's he not in prison then!?" 

"Yeah, no, he was a total Tumblr kid back in the day and he isn't in prison cause Preston technically didn't advocate for the attack, just posted the videos that me and the Kellies' took that day, with a little bit of commentary on the situation." 

"And that's all it took for a bunch of randos to come at my sister!?"

Audry nodded, her hand traveling to Vanya's across the bed, squeezing it as they exchanged sad looks. 

"He spun the whole tale in just the right way to get people up in arms. He's done it before, this is just the first time someone was actually hospitalized. It's why I left his group, I told him he needed to take responsibility and that I thought the videos were only evidence for the police, back when I thought Vanya was the bad guy, but then she ended up getting hurt and I realized we were the bad guys." She whipped her eyes, looking back at him with determination -"It was enough for me to get my head out of my ass, remind me what it was like to be the bullied, instead of the bully. I told Preston as much and we got in a big argument, but right after I saw Vanya at the hospital, I texted him and made it seem like I saw the error of my ways, he said I should still take some time to myself. I told him I'd be at my mom's house in LA, and I think that's where you should be taking him down." 

"In LA?" He scrubbed his chin, he's never been there, knew a whole lot about the rehab centers, but never stepped foot in that particular part of California. 

Audry's eyes glinted with mischief a sly smile spreading across her face, "Every year there's a convention, they call it supercon, for everything supernatural and superhuman and the Umbrella Academy is still super big there, people love you. So if you wanted to be a guest there, they'd take you in heart beat, especially you Klaus." 

"Me? They do know i've been a deadbeat drug addict this whole time right?" He was in utter disbelief; he had no idea why anyone would still be fans of a fuck up like him. 

"Some do and some think it's all just rumors, but most don't care. You represent everything the convention is about, a superhuman with a strong connection to the supernatural, exactly what Preston tries to make himself out to be. He has a panel every year where he answers questions and does live readings." 

His lips quirked up, the plan starting to come together in his head, "So, I show up and upstage the fucker, exposing to the entire world what a sorry piece of shit sham artist they'd fallen for!" 

"Bingo!" Audry tapped her nose, grinning as she pointed to him.

He nodded in approval,-"Yeah, I can do that"- he said, digging another scoop from the carton-"When's this conversation anyway?" 

"Six months." Audry replied.

His spoon dropped,"Fuck! That's a long time to stay sober." 

"Klaus!" "Klaus!" "Klaus!" 

______________________________________

A few weeks after the initial incident, he'd tried sitting Preston down and talking about righting the wrongs he'd made with the Hargreeves. 

"No." Preston got up from the couch and left the condo. He didn't come back till three in the morning and the conversation was never brought back up. To say the least, he felt like a total weakling for not pressing any further, for being so scared to talk about things with Preston, even though he told him he wanted to make things work. Maybe it was something they needed to discuss in the presence of a third party after all. They needed someone trained to handle and help issues like that.

"You want us to go to therapy!?" 

He shrunk in on himself, rubbing his hands nervously, "not therapy exactly, but a couples counselor, you said you wanted to make things work. I just thought-" 

"Dave, I'm going to say this once, we do not need therapy. There's nothing to fix, you had a slip up, but you repented and apologised and atoned for it accordingly. I forgave you, but now it's time we let it go." Preston grabbed his hands and stared him in eyes, they seemed pretty earnest. He sighed and did just as he said. 

"Yeah, okay, i'm- I'm letting it go." 

After that, things had seemed to be getting better, in the beginning at least, now though, they were three months into their supposed fresh start and Dave wasn't so sure about his decision. Every day he found himself asking how things would be if he'd just chosen Klaus when he had the chance and every night he'd have that same dream. The one where he stood in the pitch black tunnel, ground shaking and threatening to break apart below him, then he would close his eyes and those same soft hands and that same calming voice would be there, but he could never open his eyes in time to look at the person behind them. It all felt so eerily foreboding. 

Now, their time in New York was coming to a close, he and Preston had to get back to LA in two months. He would love to stay, but it was for Preston's career and he could only just follow. He always hoped one day there might be a time where they could just pick a place and finally set some roots. He didn't need a white picket fence, but he wouldn't mind a home on the countryside, maybe start a family even, at least a dog. 

"Dave, do I look like the family type?" Preston asked, pinning him with most unimpressed glare. He shrugged his shoulders, his hopes already crushed the moment Preston looked at him. 

"I mean, you could be. I don't see why not?" He offered, voice wavering in the presence of his unyielding glower. 

Preston rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he returned his attention to his laptop, "Unless I'm a Kardashian, there's no way having kids is going to enrich my career in any shape or form. I've got you Dave and that's all I need, is that all you need?" 

He sighed, it was going to have to be; He honestly didn't know how he could be asking for more at this point, or even how Preston was being so cool about it, "Yeah, I, I just wanted to see what you thought." 

"I think it's stupid, so don't ask about it again." Preston shot back, not turning from the computer screen as he typed away at some blog post or email, Dave didn't know, he didn't care. 

"Yeah, yeah I won't." He mumbled as he got up and walked to the door; snatching his car keys from the hook and quickly leaving the condo. 

On the drive to griddies, he wondered if Klaus wanted a family, then he slipped off into a daydream, pondering names for their dog or dogs, what their house would look like, how many kids they'd have. If they were to adopt or use a surrogate, he only felt marginally guilty, after all Preston didn't want any of that, so he was aloud his fantasies. He just didn't have to know who starred in them.

"Good morning Dave! You just missed Klaus, he left a couple minutes ago, better luck next time." Agnes told him, bringing a mug and a pot of coffee to him as he took a seat at the front counter.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll see him again soon." He breathed out, looking down at his phone that pinged with a text notification. It was from Audry and she was on her way over. 

_______________________________________

It was one month till the convention, Klaus was buzzing with anticipation. Five months clean and so much more in control of his powers, he still got the odd stubborn ghost from time to time, but they weren't nearly as big of a problem as they once we're. He felt good, almost new. 

"Oh, good morning Klaus." Agnes greeted, waving from behind the counter. 

"Mornin Agnes!" He waved back, striding over to sit at a booth. His heart skipping a beat once he registered it was the same exact booth he and Dave had sat at months ago. 

"What can I get you today hun?" Agnes asked, pen and pad in hand. 

He smiled and forced his thoughts away from the memories roaring to life behind his eyes. 

"One steaming cup of Joe and this morning's special, Agnes my love!" He winked, Agnes shook her head, blushing all the same and stuffing her pen and pad back in her apron. 

He was on his fifth cup of tiny table creamer when the shop door jingled open,"Good morning Dave, wasn't sure if I'd be seeing you today." 

Klaus whipped around the moment it was out of Agnes's mouth, his heart jackhammering then coming to screeching halt as his eyes connected with the man entering the diner. It was Dave, his Dave. 

They were silent as they stared at one another, Klaus twisted in his seat, Dave stood awkwardly in front of the door. Neither of them daring to speak or even breathe too loudly, a tension in the air they were reluctant to break. 

"Is everything alright boys?" Agnes asked in concern, doing it for them as she brought Klaus' order to his table. 

Klaus shook his head, "N-no, no, everything's alright, why uh, why don't you come take a seat with me... Dave?" 

Dave hesitated, looking unsure of himself before finally walking stiffly to the booth and sitting down across from him. 

"You look good." He said, eyes not yet meeting his. Klaus smiled despite himself, wishing he could say the same for Dave. He was pale, his eyes tired with heavy bags underneath them and his hair looked like it hadn't seen a bottle of shampoo in days. 

Klaus didn't say anything about it though, instead chuckling and telling him,"Yeah, well that's what five months sober will do to you."

Dave's head snapped up, his eyes wide and a slow grin spreading across his face. "Five months!? Oh my God, Klaus that's amazing!" 

He shrugged, feeling a wave of pride wash over him, he got complemented on his sobriety all the time, the initial elation of it wearing off around month two, but hearing it from Dave was a whole new dopamine kick. 

"I know right?! I don't have any jitters, I can eat three meals a day and not puke! I remember stuff now!" He gushed, bouncing with glee at the growing excitement on Dave's face. 

"Wow! I- I'm so proud of you. You seriously have no idea how happy I am to hear this." Somehow his hand had drifted down the table, like it was second nature to reach out towards him in his enthusiasm, unconsciously touching Klaus' hand and easily lacing their fingers together.

Klaus squeezed his hand back, then looked down, noticing a golden band on one of his fingers. It was definitely new and no doubt exactly what he thought it was. 

His stomach turned to a stone, plunking into a pond and transforming into a boulder upon impact, sinking all the way down and ringing like a gong when he felt it hit the bottom. He didn't show that on his face though. It had been five months since they last saw each other. Since those three days they had spent together, where something had undeniably built between them. He felt it and he knew Dave did too, but it had been disregarded for an older connection, albeit a horribly toxic one, but Klaus couldn't resent him, not if there was a chance that whatever Dave felt, hadn't been the same as him. Most days he couldn't stop himself from thinking he had simply been projecting just a little too much during that time. That his memories from all those months ago were warped to his own selfish wanting. Dave was the first person in his life he'd ever felt so...devoted to. Five months he'd stayed sober, five months he'd completely rewritten everything he'd ever been since leaving the academy, all for a chance to prove himself and maybe win him over and all it took was an impromptu coffee date and three days in the man's home. He still had the convention to wipe the floor with Preston though, that was more for Vanya and himself, he would still make his sobriety worth it, even as his dreams of sweeping Dave off his feet crumbled to dust in front of him. 

"Oh, i-i like your ring." He smiled, hoping his eyes matched it even just a little. 

Dave froze, quickly retracting his hand and flipping his palm back and forth, splaying his fingers to regard it himself, "thank you, it's uh, it's an engagement ring."- He stated, his tone surprisingly indifferent. 

"So, Prince popped the question?" He teased, his voice light and just barely masking the hurt that threatened to leak into it, but then again, he knew Dave had a way of catching onto other people's more hidden emotions. He was sure he knew how he really felt, but he tried to hide it anyway. There was nothing to salvage with bearing old feelings, at least, Kluas' hoped they were old. Now, he wanted nothing more than to just lay them to rest, but then again, like most things laid to rest, they tended to haunt him. 

"Preston, and yeah, he asked me a month ago, took me to this big light show thing, even had a band play the song we danced to on our first date. It was..... overwhelming honestly, but I still said yes." He closed his fist and put his hand back under the table. 

Klaus rested his chin against his palm, a far off look in his eyes, "well, it sounded romantic." 

Dave nodded, "it was, maybe not my romantic, but it's the thought that counts, right?" 

Klaus hummed in agreement, taking a slow sip from his coffee. 

"How about you?" He said quickly, the tips of his ears heating up even as he tried to school his face. 

"Huh?" Klaus asked, genuinely confused by the question. 

Dave rubbed the back of his neck, still pink as a peach, "how about you, what do you find romantic, or if, if you're already, I mean if you've found someone-"

"Dave katz, you dog! Are you trying to ask if I'm in a relationship?" Klaus jeered, grinning like an idiot. 

Dave flushed, but nodded, his eyes downcast.

Klaus set his mug down, then clapped his hands together, leaning in heavily across the table, "Okay, so let me give you the juicy, detail heavy, hot and steamy, deep dive, run down of my romantic life, since you, Dave Katz, are oh so curious."

Dave visibly tensed up, eyes going wide and definitely looking like he was regretting his question now. 

He only grinned wider, "I, Klaus Hargeeves, dream boat extstrodanair, chaos twink of everyone's wet dreams......is...drum roll.."- he tapped a quick beat against the table- "single as the last pringle in a can." 

He leaned back, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, silently asking Dave if he was happy with his answer. He must have been, cause he looked like a particularly burdensome weight had been lifted off his shoulders."That's good. I mean, not good, it's okay, or if it's not, i-" 

"It's fine Dave, I'm not dipping back into the dating pool just yet, sobriety is nice, but it's a whole new lifestyle I'm not completely used to yet, besides, I might have someone I'm holding out for." He sighed, hoping Dave could read between the very prominent lines he had drawn for him. 

_______________________________

Dave went home that evening, still reeling from his encounter with Klaus. His heart felt so full having seen him again and he looked so good, brighter, healthier, happier. He almost wished he could have been there with him, been one of the people to support him during his journey to sobriety. Somehow, he couldn't help feeling like he missed out on something important. 

"Dave, is all your shit packed!?" Preston called out from down the hall. The rest of their condo scattered with boxes and suitcases. 

"Uh, no, just a few more things." He weakly answered back. 

"Well, get it done! Our plane leaves in two hours. God, it's like you want me to leave you behind!" 

He breathed in a calming breath, counting to ten and slowly making his way down the hall to finish his packing. After a day with Klaus, he always came home feeling so surprised with the way Preston spoke to him. It was times like these that made him wonder if it had always been like that. His conversation with Audry quickly coming to the forefront of his mind. 

___________

"Dave, I know we haven't been the closest of friends and that's maybe more a fault on my part then yours, but I'm wanting to turn a new branch and make amends for all those transgressionals."

Dave furrowed his brows in confusion, for one, Preston told him Audry was in LA at her mom's house, and for the butchering of the idiom and misuse of the word transgressions. It was funny though; she and Klaus would absolutely get along like a house on fire. 

"Audry, what are you trying to say?" 

She rolled her eyes, huffing out a frustrated breath, "I'm not good with this kind of stuff. Dave, litsen, Preston's an abusive asshole and you need to leave him, he's been planning to propose to you for a while now but it's a fucking trap. Don't let yourself get tied to that kind of person. You totally deserve better and I should have stepped up a long time ago, but I was insecure and thought I needed Preston and his clout to be happy with myself but after the bullshit he pulled with Vanya, I figured out that it's not fucking worth it, so please, just get away from him " 

He was stunned silent as he watched Audry drink down a glass of water, Anges had set down for her. "No, Audry, everything is fine with me and Preston. I don't know what you're worrying about and maybe you shouldn't have told me he was planning to propose, but I guess it's fine, we have been together for a long time." 

"Dave! Did you listen to a word I said!?" 

"Yes, but I think maybe what you're saying is coming from a place of hurt, Preston told me about your fight and I understand why you would be upset with him, believe me I wasn't happy about what happened either, but you shouldn't try to talk me out of being with him just cause you're angry." 

Audry gaped, then pressed her lips together, eyes squinted at him. "I remember when you had a spine Katz." 

He sputtered, taken aback by her admission. "What?" 

"A fucking spine Dave! I know me and the Kellies' used to give you a hard time about it before, but you were one of the only people that actually stood up to Preston and to be honest, I respected you so much for that. You always seemed to know when he took a joke too far and you always stepped in to defend us. We should have done the same for you a long time ago and I'm so fucking sorry for that Dave, but I'm doing it now. So take my advise and and grow a fucking spine! Quit being Preston's doormat, cause one day you'll find someone who will treat you like a treasure and you don't want to miss out on that." She dabbed her eyes with the corner of a napkin, Dave had not been expecting this out of their little meetup, but he took it in stride and took everything she said into consideration, cause he knew she was being genuine. It was a lot of stuff he never really thought about and ever since then he couldn't stop thinking about it. 

They hugged after he walked her back to her car, she swore him to secrecy about her location in New York and what she talked to him about that day. "Just call me if you need me, okay, I want to be a better friend." 

"You've always been a good friend." He told her, alarmed when she broke into tears again. 

"I fucking hate you, but in a loving way. Just grow a spine already Dave, just fucking do it." 

______________

"Okay, you ready to go, the plane literally can't wait for us." Preston smiled tightly, carrying his single pink and black duffle. 

"yeah, I'm ready." He zipped up the last of his own luggage, wishing there was a way he could drag his feet for just a little bit longer.

"Great, well I'm heading down to the car and since you decided to take your sweet time coming home, I'll be waiting down there while you get the rest of our stuff, so chop chop David." He chided, heading for the door. 

He really was starting to hate the way things worked between them. 'grow a fucking spine' Adurys voice echoed in his head. He wanted to, but could he? 

"Preston." He called, a conviction settling in him as he watched his finance stop in the doorway, turning around to face him, a dark look flashing in his eyes.

"Something you need baby?" He asked sweetly and that convention was put out like a moist thumb and forefinger. 

He swallowed around the lump in his throat."Thanks for packing some of our stuff while I was out, it was very considerate of you, I'm sorry I got home so late." 

Preston brightened, his mood switching on a dime as he walked over to him, cupping his face and smacking a kiss to his lips, "of course I would, I'm always thinking about us Davey. Now, we're running out of time, so I'm going to go warm the car up, I'll see you down there, but be quick." 

He chuckled nervously and waved goodbye, it was going to be a task to get their luggage down in time, but he'd have to manage it, cause no, Audry, he couldn't grow a fucking spine.  
________________________________________

The convention was large, larger than Klaus had originally thought it would be. Hundreds of people milling about in varying spooky attire, some ranging from cheap Halloween costumes to complete Character cosplays; he even recognised versions of himself walking around.

He remembered what Aurdy had told him, but he honestly didn't believe people still cared about the Umbrella Academy, let alone him in particular, but here, in this gigantic space, he was still a celebrated figure. Posters and figurines, fan comics and key chains all depicting him and being sold for a pretty penny too. He wondered if these vendors were breaking any copyright laws. 

"Nice seance costume!" someone called out behind him, turning around, he saw a man and a little boy coming his way. The man wearing a retro Umbrella Academy shirt and the little boy in what Klaus guessed was a homemade Umbrella Academy uniform, mask and all, even a name tag that read, 'Hello, my name is, The Seánce'. Klaus was never the kid type, but something about this little guy was tugging at some maternal strings he didn't know he had. 

Crouching down to eye level, he lifted a hand for the adorable little tyke, who couldn't have been no older than six, to high-five."Hay there little guy, I gotta say, you're the best dressed person I've seen all day." 

The little boy beamed, slapping his hand with gusto "My, my name is Dustin, and, and the, the seance' is my favorite superhero, cause, cause he fights bad guys and he can see ghosts even though they're really scary, I, I used to be scared of ghosts and the dark, but now I'm not, cause, cause the seánce' is brave and, and I am too." 

Klaus grinned back, soaking in the kids unfiltered enthusiasm, deciding right then and there that he was totally having kids in the future. "That is amazing! You must be the bravest boy ever, I'll tell you something right now, the seánce already thinks you're the coolest." 

The Dad who had been watching their interaction came a little closer, holding up his camera with a shy smile, "I hope you don't mind, but we came over here cause Dustin wanted a picture with you. He said you had the hand tattoos just like the seánce, I honestly hadn't even noticed them, kids got a keen eye, kept telling me how it would be like taking a picture with the real thing.'" 

Klaus almost laughed at the fact that they didn't recognize him, but then again, who could blame them, he'd been off the map for so many years. He honestly felt bad that this kid idolized him so much, when he had been a deadbeat junkie since he was in diapers. "Of course, it'll be no problem at all." 

The man thanked him, Dustin jumping to be picked up by Klaus, who slung him on his hip. 

"Okay, on the count of three say, sceánce. one, two, three." 

"Seance'!" 

__________________________________

"Oh my God! Where are the girls!? They said they'd meet us here!?" Preston growled, arms folded and toe tapping in the middle of the lobby. 

Dave breathed a slow breath, already knowing how Preston got during events and how he was going to be the sound board for it all. "They're probably still on their way, you saw the traffic earlier." 

Preston huffed, rolling his eyes but not responding to Dave at all. He was actually thankful to be ignored. 

Just before he could bite out another sharp comment, his phone buzzed in his pocket, "it's my manager, he said there was going to be some lame surprise guest for my panel, so he probably wants to brief me. You go...I dunno..do whatever and I'll call you when I'm done." 

Dave nodded, more than happy for a good stretch of time to be on his own, "yeah, alright, love you babe." He called out dryly, Preston already down the hall and out of ear shot.

He honestly didn't know what to do with himself, aside from de-stressing with his momentary break from his Fiance's overly agitated attitude. He supposed the only thing he could do was what everyone else was here for, spooky pop culture and associated media.

Entering the main hall, he was immediately overwhelmed with the rush of emotions from hundreds of people. He never liked big events like this for this exact reason. He only ever came to them for Preston. He was seconds away from backing out and leaving, but then something familiar tugged in his stomache, he looked to his left with no real reason to and saw two men, one with a camera and one with a little boy in a costume, slung over his hip. 

"Seánce!" They grinned, their photo being taken. 

He tried to reason with himself that it was just a cosplayer, but the rapidly tightening rubber band in his gut told him it was exactly who he thought it was. He hadn't seen him since the diner, hadn't known he'd be here in LA of all places, he honestly thought he'd never see him again.

Already making his way through the crowd, he barely felt anything beyond his own determination to talk to him, but then he was turning away, waving goodbye to the boy and his father and heading further in the other direction.

"Klaus!" He called, but the convention was already loud with chatter. He sped up, bumping into people, quickly apologizing but not stopping as he waded through the crowds.

"Klaus!" He tried again, but his head of curly black hair was camouflaged in a sea of cosplayers and convention goers. 

Klaus was gone again, his stomach sunk, all he wanted was to see Klaus again, felt like he could search all day if he needed to, but that was almost obsessive wasn't it? Dave wasn't a stalker, no matter how much he missed his company, or the way his hand felt in his, their lips pressed together, hips moving against.....he could spare a few hours to search. 

____________

"I think someone was calling out for you." Ben told him, pressed close to his back in the little space he had between the masses of people in the convention. 

"That could have been anyone." He retorted, waving his hand in dismissal. 

"Who else has the name Klaus?" 

"It's a popular name!" Klaus reasoned, not paying any mind to the people giving him weird looks for talking to himself.

"Yeah, in Germany!" 

"Oh yeah, I forget I'm German. Oh well, they'll just have to wait till they see me at the panel, when I give Preston the ass whooping of a lifetime!" He gloated, the prospect of absolutely destroying the aforementioned prick, lighting up his dopamine receptors in a way they hadn't been for quite a while.

He walked around the convention, getting stopped on many occasions for photos and even buying some of his own merchandise; fan art, a key chain, a self published comic where he fell in love with some soldier he somehow time traveled to; he thought that one was incredibly cute and almost bought everything else at the ladies table, but was eventually talked down by Ben. 

By the time he was done in the convention, the sun was already going down. He was on his way back to the hotel when one of the event coordinators stopped him. 

"Klaus! Just who I've been looking for, nice body pillow by the way." She commented, gesturing to the largest item out of Kluas' many purchases. 

"Thank, they really really nailed my rugged good looks and obcenley defined pec muscles." 

She grinned tightly at him for a moment, blinking blankly before collecting her mental bearings again,"Well I'm glad you enjoyed yourself and I hope you continue to, cause I'm inviting you to a little bit of a mixer for all of our guests, it's in a nice club not too far from here starting at ten, dress to dance and mingle, I hear there's quite a few people looking forward to Meeting you."

Klaus shifted from foot to foot, a party did sound fun, but he knew the club scene all too well, drinks, drugs, hazy hookups and hardcore headaches the morning after. Six months he'd been clean, did he really trust himself to walk into a literal den of temptation and expect the lions to keep their mouths shut? No, god didn't like him like that. 

"I don't know Christie, i've been sober for half a year, I'm not looking to ruin this fresh start I've made for myself." He said, smiling subtly at the praise Ben gave him for his display of good decision making.

"Oh, don't worry about it, the place is completely catered to us, we can have you down as a straight edge guest, I promise you, no alcohol will be offered to you and we have a strict no drugs policy." 

He thought for a moment, he did miss going out and just letting loose, though he couldn't let loose as much as he used to, he'd have to be pretty iron tight with his self control, but maybe this was a test, a challenge to see if he could control himself. 

"Yeah, you know what, I think I'll give it a shot." He said, deciding it was a challenge he accepted.

Christie smiled, thanking him for his attendance and promising him he'd have a good time, Klaus nodded back and waved goodbye. 

"Klaus, do you really think you can do this?" Ben wasn't corpal, hadn't been all day, though Klaus could hold him for a solid seventy two hours now, he still preferred to be his guardian shadow as he called himself, not too keen on socialising outside of his own family and telling Klaus to save his energy for when he really needed him. Klaus had snorted at that, "like a Pokemon?" He'd told him, his brother grimacing at the comparison and on more than one occasion Klaus had yelled "Ben, I choose you!" apon summoning him. Vanya and Audry thought it was hilarious every time. 

______________________________________

Dave had indeed ended up spending the whole day looking for Klaus, blindly meandering from one end of the convention to the other and back again. he got recognized as Dave, Preston's fiance a couple times and posed for photos, but he never found Klaus. Though the rubber band tightened at odd intervals and every time he'd spin around and maybe catch a flash of pale skin, dark curls, and a leather skirt, but was never fast enough to chase after it before he was lost in the crowd all over again. 

Usually he could only stand an hour or two tops in such a climate, but it was five O'clock by the time he finally threw the towel in. On the brink of a panic attack and so, so exhausted, he left, going straight for the doors and into the cool evening air, sun setting and all the noise and emotions slowly seeping away from him. 

He closed his eyes and leaned against the building, breathing in deep and reveling in the burn of all the fresh LA air expanding inside his lungs. 

"It's pretty wild in there, huh?" 

His eyes snapped open, just a few feet ahead of him and coming closer was Klaus. Smoking a cigarette and looking just as ethereal as he remembered him, green eyes almost glowing in the dimming daylight, he wore a leather ankle length skirt with black platform sandals and a black mesh top. He looked so good, he looked so healthy, so beautiful. 

"Y-yeah, crazy." He stuttered, not able to rip his gaze away from him as he slowly came closer. Dave had the urge to grab him by the hips and just reel him the rest of the way over, but he didn't, only continued to stare instead. Gaping like a fish at the star of his dreams for the last six months. 

"Dave!" 

Anxiety filled him at the grating call of his name. 

Klaus paused and looked to the side, seeing Preston stomping down the sidewalk, he took one last drag from his cigarette before putting it out on the bottom of his sandal. "Well, here comes hubby, it's good seeing you again Dave, but I don't particularly want any interaction with Presley, for obvious reasons, so I'll be heading out." 

He bent down to pick up a couple bags he hadn't noticed before, filled with all sorts of memorabilia and nodded one last time before walking off. Dave was struck frozen with the insanity of his luck. All day he had been looking for Kluas', coming so close then falling so short and right when he gives up, he finds him, now he's leaving again all because of Preston, just like last time. He hates that he's letting him go, that he was still standing rooted to his spot while he walks away, even though he wanted so badly to give chase, but he was a Coward. A spineless coward. 

"There you are, when I said to go do whatever, I didn't mean 'ignore me the entire day'. Honestly Dave, I called you ten times and not once did you pick up!" Preston bickered, gripping his bicep and pulling him in the direction of the hotel.

He felt numb, so done with everything, so done with Preston's attitude, feeling like he was always in the wrong when for once he just wanted to be listened to and understood, like he had been with Klaus. He just wanted Klaus more than anything and he was realizing it six months too late. Now he had to live with his decision and marry Preston, who didn't even want kids or an actual house, it made no sense to him and felt more and more like a publicity stunt than an actual bonding of two souls like marriage was supposed to be.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, I'm terrible and I should have picked up, I'll do it next time." He droned, saying whatever it took to placate Preston and get him to shut up. 

"You don't sound very sorry!" 

He shook his head, "do you want me to cry?" He asked, knowing there was no way he could spare a single tear for him at this point. So many times he'd been told to suck it up and act like a man, so many times his emotions had been ignored and invalidated, it was actually sad that he was so desensitized to Preston's ploys to get a reaction out of him. 

Preston frowned, but didn't answer, "We're invited to the mixer for all the guests and it's going to have everyone there, so you're going this time, can't be seen alone when I have fiancee, Dave." 

He dreaded having to be in yet another tight space, surrounded by so many people and their emotions, loud club music and annoying drunks. He was tempted to give himself food poisoning just so he could skip it. 

"I didn't get to meet the surprise guest, cause apparently it has to be a surprise to me too, fucking lame, but they did say it was one of the Umbrella Academy people, double lame, but I'm thinking it's Allison, cause she's the only one that actually has the money to get into an event like this. Let's see if we can spot her at the party." 

A slow smile morphed onto his face, maybe he could stick it out just a little longer. 

_______________________

The club was loud, people he hardly knew coming to shake his hand and make small talk and he hated it. None of them were who he was looking for, he'd combed the entire place and always ended up back at the bar, sipping a ginger ale. Preston had gone off with his manager and a couple of friends, saying he would be back in an hour, it's been three hours and he hasn't seen a sign of him since.

He was worried, but not about him, he was worried that his original assumption had been wrong and that maybe it wasn't Klaus that was the special guest and someone else after all. He couldn't stand the thought that he came here for nothing. He hated it, hated that the last six months, hell, the last five years of his life meant nothing ever since he met Klaus. Ever since they spent those three days together and he felt like an actual person for once and not like the trained dog he was with Preston.

It infuriated him that Audry was right and he brushed her off, just like he had with Klaus and now he was miserable, so fucking miserable. Putting his empty glass down, he got up and decided to make a quick circle of the club to see if he could find Preston and more hopefully Klaus. He walked past the dance floor, the strobe lights giving him a headache, then he tried the bathrooms where he heard a couple guys hooking up in a stall and saw a few others doing lines. He rolled his eyes and walked out towards the VIP section and asked the bouncer if they'd seen his fiance, the man looked at him pointedly then removed the velvet rope and inclined his head for him to enter. He took a couple steps in and saw a busy booth, he recognizes a few of Preston's mutuals, the friends he had walked off with at the beginning of the night, but not his finance and not his manager. 

"Where's Preston?" He asked, his patients thinning by the second as the girls in front of him broke out into fits of giggles. He didn't need to read their aura to know they were high as a kite, the coke lines and scattering of pills on the table were fairly reliable indicators as well. He didn't think Preston did drugs, but then again, he never came to these things with him and it's probably why he left him behind. 

He was ready to turn around and just leave, but then Preston was coming back towards him, walking stiffly as he fixed his zipper, his manager, Jerry, close behind him with a toothy grin on his face. Dave never liked the guy. He had one of the dirtiest auras he'd ever seen, almost always splotched in cloudy red lust or speckled in gutter greens for greed, there was never an I'm between for the guy. He honestly made him uncomfortable to be around, but he'd been Preston's manger before they even started dating, so he never felt the right to voice his concerns, still he had no idea why Preston even hung out with him outside of work relations, but he supposed he was going to find out soon. 

Preston stopped a couple feet away from him, his eyes wide as saucers and dilated to the nines. His hair was disheveled and he could spot quite a few hickies along his collar bone. His jaw ticked, emotions roiling like the sea in a storm, but he kept stoic, already feeling how fucking out of it Preston was. 

"H-hay Dave." He said, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, sniffing and twitching his nose while his manger only grinned and chuckled behind him. 

"You said you'd be back in an hour, I couldn't find you baby." He responded gently, like he was talking to a child.

Preston nodded his head jerkily, blinking like he couldn't get his eyes to focus, "oh, yeah, yeah, I uh, I was on my way back to you, but I uh, had to, to use the bathroom, I just got back." 

Dave frowned, he had just been in the bathroom and he definitely wasn't one of the guys doing lines. His heart thundered in his chest as he watched Jerry slink up next to him, his hand gripping around Preston hip, a cocky smile on his face. Preston didn't seem to notice the implications of the stance the man was taking next to him and just leaned into his side easily. 

"Why don't you go sit down with the girls.",Preston nodded and made his way over to the table, leaving him and Dave to stand off in the middle of the VIP lounge. 

"So, I'm guessing you figured a few things out." 

His fists clenched, he nodded tightly refusing to feel hurt by this and in a way, he wasn't, at least not like he should be. -"How long has that,"- he glanced to the table where Preston and the girls were rolling up dollars for the lines, "and this"-he looked back to Jerry, "been going on?"

"All of it, I'd say, has been going on since I've known Preston." He purred, pulling up his shirt to reveal a glock tucked into his waistband -"this won't have to be a problem now, will it?" 

He swallowed thickly, shaking his head in reply, "Not a problem at all"- and turned around, making the brisk retreat back to the bar. 

________________

Dave was not a wrathful man and knew the in's and out's of what anger could do to a person, but right now, he was pissed. Dragged to a club he never wanted to come to and only came to for a chance of seeing Klaus, then left alone for three hours by his supposed finance, only to search for him and find out he'd been doing drugs and fucking his manager long before they were together and the entire time they had been together to boot. He knows he cheated on Preston too, but that was once in a very heated moment out of the five years he'd since stayed loyal to him, compared to the entire five years of disloyalty on Preston's side, it felt a little different. It felt like his remorse and days of agonizing on his self worth as a person, as a boyfriend, were obsolete. Like nothing fucking mattered anymore. 

He hadn't touched a drop of alcohol in five years. He met Preston his first day out of rehab; he was the first person he'd talked to since being abandoned by his family and the only thing other than alcohol that made his head feel quite. Dave should have been smarter and recognized the smokey grey for what it truly meant. A selfish bastard that had no real feelings for anyone but himself. Five fucking years wasted trying to please someone who was never fucking satisfied. 

"I want six shooters, half Jack and half jäger!" He slapped the top of the bar, the bartender turning around to raise his eyebrows at him, 

"Woah there buddy, you were just drinking a ginger not that long ago. Those are some pretty heavy spirits, you sure about that?" 

"Yeah, I'm sure, and I'm not your buddy." He gritt, sliding a twenty onto the counter. 

The bartender shook his head, pocketing the tip with a smile, more amused than anything, but Dave didn't care as long as he did his job and got him his drinks. 

Nine shots in and he was feeling great. The music didn't bother him as much, he was starting to like it actually, he turned towards the dance floor, wanting to maybe join the fray, but then his eyes caught a familiar head of curls. Dressed in sparkly holographic platform boots, tight lace up pants and a neon green crop top, was Klaus Hargeeves, on the dance floor grinding against some overly tanned himbo that probably didn't even know what Klaus' favorite food was. It's waffles, he would know cause they ate them for three days straight. 

His blood boiled, he was drunk, he was super fucking drunk, so he had no quelms about walking right up to them and putting his hands on klaus' hips, pulling away from the jar head behind him and swaying to the music just the two of them. 

"D-dave, what the hell?" Klaus tried to detach himself from him. He frowned and just held his hands firmmer in place. 

"Dave, you have a fiance, get off me before he sees you and decides to sick his social media cronies on me." 

"He left to snort coke and he's sleeping with his manager, so it's okay." He slurred, pressing his face into Klaus curls and running his hands from under his thigh to the small of his back and back again, grinning at the shiver it elicited from him. 

"It's still not right Dave, I'm not comfortable with this, why are you acting like this?" 

He frowned, wrapping his arms around Klaus and squeezing him tight, his chin resting over his shoulder. "I'm drunk, all I wanted was to see you, it's the only reason I came here. I missed you, you make me happy, Preston makes me want to die, but I won't, cause you're still alive and that's all that matters." 

Klaus relaxed, sighing as he returned the hug, his hand rubbing his back in shooting circles. "Aww, Dave. Look, if you're not happy, then you can leave Preston, he doesn't own you. You're allowed to leave and do what's best for yourself." 

He nodded, feeling so light and happy to have Klaus in his arms, he pressed a kiss to his shoulder, then to his neck, to his jaw and under his chin, then his lips, deepening the kiss, his blood heading south as he slowly crowded Klaus against the wall, not caring who saw them, his leg pressing between his thighs, their similar height meaning Klaus' leg was right between his. He groaned under his breath, his hands roaming all over him, wanting to take things further. 

"Dave, Dave stop"

He didn't know why Klaus was asking him to stop, when they could be picking up where they left off six months ago. He moved in closer, his hand running over Klaus' exposed stomach and into his shirt. 

"Dave!, I said enough!" Klaus grabbed his arm and ripped it away from himself. Had he been sober, then Dave would have felt the fear and anxiety Klaus was experiencing, the betrayal and hurt his drunken actions were causing him, but he wasn't. 

"Am I not good enough for you either? Cause, cause your sober now? Y-you don't have to be, you can be a junkie, I'll still want you. I'll always want you. I'll take care of you, just come have a drink, it won't matter if we're both drunk will it? It'll make you feel good, then we can make each other feel good like we did all those months ago." 

Dave had never been in a physical altercation in his life, so he never knew what it felt like to get your junk kicked in, and he supposed he was thankfully to have still been drunk, though he'd feel it in the morning. All he remembered was the rage on Klaus face as he brought his sharp knee up and connected with his groin, he went down, hands over his crotch, holding back tears on the club floor for all to see. Preston wasn't going to be happy. 

_________________________________

He was back in the tunnel again, he felt the same sense of fear, but in a way he was also comforted by the familiarity of it, already knowing what to expect. The ground started to shake, the same booming voice, wailing 'strike two, strike two' over and over. He dropped down, closed his eyes and waited for his savior to touch him and quiet the chaos, but he never came. 

The ground tremored even more violently, he could feel the cracks underneath him breaking deeper, "STRIKE THREE! STRIKE THREE!" 

The voice was louder, angrier, it was different, the dream was different. 

"I'm sorry!" He screamed back, only to have his surroundings sudder even harder in reply.

"STRIKE THREE!" "STRIKE THREE!" 

A fissure opened up beneath him, growing deeper and longer, threatening to drop him through. He forced himself up, body heavy, his muscles straining as he made himself stand, then he ran. Sprinting to the small light in the distance, every cell in his body telling him that's where he was. That's where he'd find him. 

Bursting out into the warm sun rays, his fear forgotten as he walked on suddenly bare feet against plush grass. Ahead of him was a hill.

"Dave?" He heard his name be called, it was Klaus. He was looking for him, he needed him. 

"Dave?" 

His feet picked up pace once more, rushing through the grass and up the hill. 

"Klaus!" He yelled back, answering the sporadic call of his name. 

"Dave?" 

"Klaus!" He came to the top of the hill, his face split with a grin that vanished in seconds of seeing what lay in wait for him.

"KLAUS!"

The air was knocked out from him, he fell to his knees, just inches from where Klaus laid on his back, his vacant eyes staring into the sky above him, the grass beneath him soaked in blood that poured from a wound in his chest. He could feel the tears like ice, burning his skin as they slid down his face. His heart felt like a hot coal as it rattled about in his ribcage, searing straight through him as an agonizing sob erupted out of him.

He woke up. The hotel lights bright and painful against his eyes, his head throbbing a mighty beat that he was sadly familiar with. He didn't think it could get any worse, but then he was doused in a bucket of water. 

"What the hell!?" He gasped, shaking the water off his face like a wet dog.

"Hmm, thought you would need that for your hangover baby." Preston said in the most sickeningly sweet tone. He frowned, then hazy memories of the night before came filtering back, he remembered Jerry, his gun and the fact that Preston had been cheating on him from day one.   
Then flashes of Klaus and his angry face filtered over those. He knew he said some fucked up things and definitely deserved the knee to his groin that still ached even now. 

"Fuck" he jerked out from the bed, overcome with urgancy to find Klaus and apologize, kneel, groval, whatever it took to get his forgiveness, but he didn't get very far. His knees down to his ankles were tied together and the rope binding them were tethered to the bed frame. He was leashed to the fucking bed. 

"Yeah, you're staying here for the rest of the day until I can figure out how to salvage the shitstorm you created last night!" Preston seethed.

"Preston what the fuck!" He growled, already getting to work on the multiple complex knots around his feet.

"What the fuck indeed Dave! There are multiple videos of you dancing with and cornering some guy in the club last night, you looked like a creep and you were definitely kicked in the fucking balls like a creep! So you stay here and when I get back I'll decide your punishment!" Preston gripped his cheeks between his fingers, staring him in the eyes like he was some insolent child. 

He shook his hand off, rubbing his face to sooth the burn Preston's harsh grip had left there all the while glaring daggers at the person he was seeing clearly for the first time. "Okay, I'm drawing the line Preston! You can't keep me hostage just cause you're angry and you can't man handle me like that!" 

Preston scoffed and rolled his eyes, his arms folding over his chest, "I think i can do whatever the fuck I want after all the shit you put me through! Now be a good boy and stay here while I go do my panel and hopefully I would have come up with a good fucking plan on how to handle all the fucking backlash your drunken stunt has caused." 

He ran a hand through his hair, "uggh! This is going to be a lot of work, you're probably going to have to do an apology video, squeeze out some tears, shouldn't be hard for you. Maybe we can postpone the engagement, even fake break up for a bit and send you back to rehab or whatever. Oh, we can do a mini documentary, Shane Dawson style, those are popular, drag it out to like a ten part series." 

Dave sat there listening to him, his hackles rising over every word. He really was going to try and make this about his career, he wasn't even phased by his sudden return to alcohol, wanted to use to his fucking advantage, "Or we could break up for real?" 

Preston stopped and looked at him with wide eyes, "Are you serious Dave?"

He nodded, throat tight as they locked eyes, "I already know about you and Jerry, and I...just don't love you anymore Preston. I don't think I have for a while." 

There was a pregnant pause, he wasn't sure what he was expecting but Preston's eye roll and exasperated sigh of "fine."- was not it. 

"Fine! That's all?!" He balked, completely thrown by his indifference. 

Preston shrugged, "what more do you want from me?" 

"I don't know, we were together for five years Preston! You had more emotion when I cheated on you! I felt your anger and fear of abandonment!" 

He shrugged again, "Yeah, cause no one's cheated on me before and I was scared my fans were going to lose interest in me if we broke up out nowhere. Do you know how many shippers we have, but now that there's video evidence of you being a skeevy skank, I have good reason to break up with you in a justifiable way to my fans." 

"This whole time you were only feeling bad for yourself! You really never cared did you! Why the hell did you even propose!?" After finding out about Jerry, he knew the past five years of their relationship had been a fucking lie, but being told out right that it was, still hurt. It hurt knowing he was only a pawn in Preston's weird little game after all. 

"You think I felt bad for you? You cheated on me Dave, with an ugly junkie you scraped off the street, not very good for my self-esteem." 

He surged forward, already past hurt and diving straight into the anger stage of things, no less agitated by his disparaging comments about Klaus, "Stop calling him that, he's so much more than an ex addict, and he's the most gorgeous man I ever met!" 

Preston grimaced, stepping out of the way just as he crumbled back to the floor, "Oh my God, it's like you're in love wi- oh my God you're in love with him!" 

He didn't say anything, just glared up at Preston's disgusted face, already feeling like a stranger to someone he had sworn his love and loyalty to not that long ago.

"Wow, that's so gross, but you know what, I can see it, you're both fucking pathetic so you must deserve eachother." He shook his head and turned to leave. 

"Wait! Where are you going! Untie me!" 

"Nope, I gotta get to my panel and since we're no longer together, I have no reason to, so have fun with that Houdini." He closed the door, the click defending as his panic started to rise. He had to get out, had to find Klaus and fix things with him before he went back to New York. 

_____________________________________

It was twenty minutes into the panel, slash live readings; Klaus came out as the special guest fifteen minutes ago, surprising many fans in the audience and making Preston practically shit himself as he walked out from behind the curtains, his tattooed hands waving to the crowd who jumped out of their seats to get photos and autographs. 

He had forgotten what it was like to be a celebrity, but he knew as good as it felt now, it would get old quick. He sat down in the cushy armchair across from PrestonPentagram as his stage name was, they shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, acting like they were meeting for the very first time. He for the most part let Preston do his thing, overzealously gushing about how happy he was to be there and watch a fellow talented medium work. Preston of course just about climaxed at the heavy stroke to his ego and let himself be the star of the show, while Klaus sat back and waited for the right moment to utterly humiliate him. 

"Yes, I can feel her presence now. Gabrielle you're grandma is here, she's very happy to see you." 

Klaus rolled his eyes, quietly summoning the girls grandma for real. A little old lady in a fluffy pink nightgown, materialising beside him and seeming quite confused to be where she was. 

"Oh dear, I thought I was watching TV with Harold." She exclaimed, regarding the room of people with large eyes. 

Klaus cleared his throat to get her attention, "Oh my, can you see me dearie?" She asked, shuffling closer to him in her bunny slippers. 

He nodded. She smiled in return, then spotted her granddaughter sitting at the small sofa between he and Preston, "Ah, Gabrielle, I remember her talking about some get together like this. Is that why I'm here, does she want to talk to me?" 

He nodded again. 

"I can hear her, she's telling me…... a recipe." Preston said, his eyes closed and his hand scribbling away on his notepad. 

"I haven't said anything about a recipe." She remarked, face screwed up in displeasure. - "It's not nice to fib." 

Kluas' couldn't contain his laugh, breaking Preston out of whatever fake concentration he had. 

"Excuse me, Mr Hargeeves, but I need total silence for me to communicate with the deceased, now I'm not sure if I can get her back or not" He griped, pouting like a little kid.

Gabrielle looked visibly panicked that she might not get to speak with her grandmother. 

Klaus leaned forward in the armchair, false bewilderment coating his face and voice, "You're the greatest medium of our time, I'm sure you can get it back. You know what, as a matter of fact I'm in contact with her too, so if you can't, I'd be more than happy to continue the reading for you." 

The audience wouldn't be able to see the way Preston tensed up, his face pale and confused before he finally schooled his expression and got back into his 'meditative' state. "No, I can do it, I just need to remember where we left off." 

"Oh, the recipe! what was the recipe?" Gabriela offered enthusiastically, her hopes picking back up. 

Preston sat up straighter, closing his eyes and breathing in slowly as he started to scribble on his notebook once more,"Hmm, it....is........an.....a..a...apple pie recipe." 

Gabrielle gasped, "My Nana made apple pie all the time!" 

Preston smirked, smug like the asshole he was. Kluas' snorted, completely amused by how easily these people were being played and they didn't even know it, but he supposed that's what he was here for. 

"Is there anything you'd like to add Seánce!" Preston bitt out. 

Klaus shook his head, still chuckling as he slowly stood up, his flowery skirt swishing as he strides to the edge of the stage,"Yeah actually, a few things." then turning to the audience -"show of hands, who here has a grandma or great aunt or what have you, that makes apple pie?" 

Over half of the audience raised their hands,"okay, now show of hands, how many of these people's apple pie recipes had the secret ingredient of cinnamon or nutmeg?" 

The same amount of people all raised their hands, he nodded his head,"okay, last question, who here has a grandmother who made apple pie because it reminded her of her father?" 

Many hands went down, he continues "Her father who would make it everyday since his wife left him and he would always ended up burning it, cause he was never taught to bake, so this person's grandmother, we'll call her Nana Abigale, at nine years old, would teach herself to bake alongside her father and create a Sunday tradition of apple pie after church. She would later go on to teach her daughter, Hanna at nine and then her granddaughter, Gabrielle at nine. Every Sunday celebrating the single father that raised her in a time that did not favour such family Dynamics. It wasn't just apple pie to them, In this family it wasn't even called apple pie, they called it Papa's Pie." 

The room fell silent, all hands going down except for one, Gabrielle's arm shaking as she held it high above her head, tears pouring down her face. Klaus turned around and she was already running to him, burying her face into his chest as she gripped his shirt. 

"Was I close?" He asked, hugging her as she cried. 

She nodded."E-everything, w-was correct." 

He squeezed her just a bit tighter, "Abigale is here, she saw you walk the stage last year. She says she is incredibly proud of you for graduating valedictorian...whatever that means." 

Gabrielle sobbed harder, her shoulders shaking as she clung to him,"Tell her I miss her so much!"

"She misses you too, but wants you to know she's never far away, she's always watching you and your family, just talk to her and she'll be listening." 

The room erupted into applause, many people raising their hands all at once, calling out for Klaus to do their reading next. It was loud and overwhelming and exactly the reason why he never liked doing these things. Especially on this scale, he was lagit and never failed to deliver the messages these people were looking for, he'd been stalked and lured into people homes early on in his career outside of the academy. So many people wanting to use him like a human ouija board, granted that's exactly what he was, but still human all the same. He didn't like feeling like a tool. 

He smiled a little tighter, his nerves fraying at the cacophony of people trying to get his attention "I'm losing the connection, I can do one more person, then I'm closing the ghost portal thing-majig." 

He pointed at a random person in the audience, a tan man in his late thirties stood up, a framed photograph of an older gentleman in his hands. Klaus motioned for him to come on the stage and he quickly did. 

"I- I like your dress" he stuttered, smiling bashfully. 

"Danke" Klaus grinned back, throwing him a quick wink while the stage hands quickly got him equipped with a microphone. 

"Hi, I'm Carlos Alvarez, and this is mi tìo, Fernando Alvarez. He died two years ago, when he-he...took his own life and no one still doesn't know why." Carlos started to cry, holding the frame in a white knuckled grip. 

Klaus breathed a slow breath then looked to his right, the very same man from Carlos' picture was stood a few feet away, his arms crossed and his eyes sad as he looked on at his weeping nephew. 

"Okay, Fernando's here, ask him what you want?" He told Carlos gently, who wiped at his eyes, frantically looking around the stage in confusion. 

"He's standing over there, just talk to him and I'll tell you what he says." Klaus directed his head in the right direction.

Carlos nodded, "h-hi tìo, e-everyone really misses you at home, the holidays haven't been the same." 

"Okay, he says, 'no llores mi sobrino'" 

"Okay, that's clearly gibberish, I told you all he was insane, now get off the stage!" Preston jumped from his seat, red faced as he struggled against the stage hands desperately coaxing him out of interrupting the reading. 

"No, it's not gibberish it's Spanish!"- Carlos yelled, fierce enough to put Preston back in his seat, then turning desperate eyes back to where his late uncle stood- "Porque nos dejaste, tio!" 

"mi corazón no estaba sano" Klaus repeated, no idea what most of it meant, but relaying it the best he could. -"ni mi cabeza, me estaba haciendo viejo, hijo, los doctores me dijeron que tenía cáncer. no quería recordarme de esa manera, un esqueleto enfermo y triste.  
Hice lo único que se me ocurrió en ese momento. Ahora sé que era egoísta, perdóname?" He continued, amazed he was able to keep up with the old man's rapid fire Spanish. 

Carlos was an absolute wreck by the time he was done, slouched to his knees and clutching the framed photo to his chest. "Oh tìo, tìo, tìo. Te perdono tìo, te perdono!" 

Carlos had to be assisted off the stage in his hyper emotional state. He almost wished Diego was here to tell him what the hell just happened. 

Looking back, Preston was red as a tomato, out of his chair once more, jaw clenched tight with more than a few veins throbbing on his neck. "He obviously had these people hired, it's impossible for him to have relayed an entire conversation in another fucking laungage, from some tubby Mexican's dead uncle. I can't even do that and I'm the best in the fucking business!! who can fucking believe this shit!!!?" 

Klaus smirked and turned around, knowing he'd done exactly what he came here to do. "Or, now stay with me here, you're not actually the best." 

Preston fumed, looking like a total lunatic with how wide his eyes went, then he reeled his arm back and launched his notebook at him, hitting him square in the face.

"What the fuck! What are you, ten or something!?" He rubbed his nose, annoyed at the childish display. 

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up! You're a phoney, boyfriend fucking, junckie whore and I will not lose to you! You understand me! This is my game! I fucking own it! ME! NOT YOU!" 

Klaus took a step forward, Ben quickly grabbing his shoulders in an attempt to keep him from lunging at the fucker, "Litsen here kid, you might think you're all big and mighty with the fame and noteriaty you have, but all of that is fucking temporary compared to what real power is, and trust me, you don't fucking want it."

He wanted to throttle the brat, but Ben's grip on him was the only thing keeping him from doing just that. "Be the bigger person Klaus." He told him, being the only voice of reason Kluas ever had. 

Preston saw he wasn't going to fight him, so he crossed his arms, a self assured smile on his face, "You think you're so cool, cause your mommy had you like some virgin Mary. I bet she was a disgusting crackhead like you, popping out crack babies for your mega rich dad to adopt. You know, I heard he used to beat the shit out of you, that's why you think you're some kind of superhero, huh? You're mentally unstable, a fucking basket case. Everyone here knows you're insane!" 

A dead silence fell over the room, a palpable tension rising in its wake; one that everyone must have felt, cause people from the audience were already breaking for the exit, while dumber onlookers stayed to record the scene. Ben let him go then, taking large steps back as Klaus vibrated with a new energy. "Never mind, kick his ass." 

Klaus was an easy going guy, everyone he knew could vouch for that. He didn't get angry often, emotional? Sure, but anger never lasted long in him, so it really took someone special to make Klaus Hargeeves lagitmently angry and Preston desvered a grand fucking prize, cause right now, he was royally, unnatural, violently Pissed. - "YOU SAY THIS IS YOUR game? You think this shit is a GAME? Spooks and spirits? Just gonna fuck around with something you have no idea about? You haven't even scratched the tip of the iceberg of what it means to be in CONSTANT FUCKING contact with the other FUCKING SIDE!!! And you want to call it a game, apparently a game YOU own! Let me tell you something, if this is a game, then I FUCKING INVENTED IT! So, please, go ahead and tell me how in tune you are with the dead, you know what, let's ask them ourselves!!!" 

A feral grin split across his face, his skin tingling with the surge of electro-magnetic energy swirling around him, the last of the onlookers bolting out as their phones and cameras short circuited in their hands. The lights swayed and flickered overhead before blinking out completely, throwing the entire building into darkness; the only light in the room being the visible blue aura that ringed around him. 

He must have looked insane, he felt insane, never in his life had he tapped so deeply into his powers, but it seemed like all the shit he'd been through, starting from the day he entered Vanya's Cafe just before all this mess started, was enough to push him all the way over the edge and head first into the void he had so strongly kept shut inside himself, but now, now that door was swung wide fucking open for the entire world to see. 

Preston made a run for it, jumping off the stage and pushing people out of the way as the convention room filled with phantoms. They materialized by the dozens, their bloody, deformed, gaunt and pale bodies screaming and moaning their pain into the faces of anyone who would listen, just like they did to Klaus. 

"THIS! IS WHAT I SEE EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE, ANY FAMILIAR FACES PRESTON!?" He roared, following him out the door, not realizing he was no longer touching the ground, his body weightless as he cut through the air, the mob of spirits parting for him like the Red Sea.

Preston didn't get far, making it to the courtyard and scrambling for the closest opening he saw, but it was a dead end. He pressed himself flat against the wall, frozen in fear, his knees shaking and chest heaving in panic, the number of ghosts only continuing to double around them. Following wherever Klaus went and wherever Klaus told them to go. He was their portal, he was their light at the end of the tunnel, he was the master of every last one of their souls. 

"What's wrong? Scared of ghosts?" He asked, filling with a sick glee at the tears welling up in Preston's eyes. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and turned to drag him into the swarm of undead. 

"Puh-puh-PLEASE DON'T!" Preston screamed, kicking and clawing at his hand to be released, Klaus didn't budge, just floated them closer and closer to his still growing army, more ghosts than humans now, Klaus was starting to think he liked it better that way. 

"KLAUS!"

He stilled, looking over the crowd of phantoms to where Dave stood at the entrance of the courtyard. 

"PUT. HIM. DOWN." Dave ordered, his eyes hard but still concerned in a way that only Dave was able to express. 

Klaus didn't appreciate being spoken to like some misbehaving child, if anything Preston was the child here, but even so, his grasp faulted. He was still hurt, beyond heartbroken with how Dave treated him at the club, but he couldn't help still wanting to do what he says, cause he trusts him. He didn't understand why or even when, but he still loves Dave, no matter how much it hurt him to. Slowly, he began to lower Preston back down. 

He just barley had his shoes on the ground before he started talking again. "HAH! That's right you fucking freak, Dave will always be there to save me! Cause he loves ME way more than he'll ever love a psycho drug addict with Daddy issues like you!"- Klaus stopped lowering him, a snarl bursting from his throat as he snapped his head to him, his eyes blanked out in a blaze of blue. 

"Oh fuck!" He squeeked as Klaus dropped him into the angry horde of apparitions. His screams of terror quickly muffled as they closed in on him. 

Klaus grinned, floating higher into the air and watching Preston's useless attempts to fight off his assailants. It wouldn't work, you can't fight ghosts, Klaus knew this very well. Dave though, took one look at him, then dived into the throng, gripping Preston by the back of his shirt in and dragged him out as the ghosts rapidly started to dissipate, reappearing feet away from the two of them.

"Klaus! Please, just stop this!" Dave called, shoving a traumatized Preston behind himself and towards the door. Klaus looked down at him, hovering closer. His anger only rising at seeing Dave protect him.

He knew he wasn't acting right, but he didn't feel like himself anymore. He felt....cold, like the only warmth he could get were the brief flashes whenever he summoned a new crowd of specters and even then, those were growing fewer and far between, his instincts telling him to keep it going. Conjure More. Don't stop, or else he'll only grow colder.

"Get out of here Dave, I don't want to have to hurt you." He told him cooly, their eyes locking.

Dave shook his head, "You wouldn't Klaus, I know for a fact you wouldn't." 

"There's lots of things I use to tell myself I would never do, but I always did them in the end." His arms shook in his exertion to keep the ghosts attention away from Dave and in turn away from Preston. As long as he was next to him, Preston would be unscathed and it pissed him off, cause he wanted the bitch to suffer.

"That's not true! You're a good person Klaus and I'm sorry about last night, I said some fucked up stuff, I won't even try and use the fact I was drunk as an excuse, cause it's not one. I knew what I was doing when I started drinking and I should have shown more self control. I told myself a long time ago I didn't want to be that person anymore and this doesn't have to be you. Whatever is in your past, it doesn't have to decide who you are now!" Dave looked so sure of that, like he wasn't already a hypocrite in this situation. 

"You don't know anything about my past, don't know the half of the shit me and my siblings went through, no one does!! But there's always someone there to judge us!! No matter how hard we try to live normal lives, we'll always just be those Umbrella Academy kids!!! I'll always be the Sceánce. No 4, the junkie! The fuck up!!!" He screamed, his body feeling rigid and icy, it was painful, his past was painful but no one ever cared. Tears streaked down his face as the air around him filled with static, causing his hair standing on end while the blue aura illuminated even brighter from his palms. He was angry, he couldn't control it, he was so, so angry. No one understood, no one could ever understand what it felt like. No one but the dead, only the dead knew how lonely and cold it could get. He feared them for so long, avoided them so adamantly, but he was realizing now, that they were his friends all along. He moved in closer, ghostly armies rising from the ground and closing in on Dave and Preston; he would make them understand, make them feel how he felt, cold, stiff like rigimortus, fucking dead. 

"KLAUS!!!" 

He stopped, Ben had materialized in front of Dave, his stance wide and his arms splayed out to cover as much of him as he could. "YOUR NAME IS KLAUS HARGEEVES! YOUR AN INFURIATING, SMART MOUTHED ASSHOLE, WITH AWFUL FASHION, BUT ALSO MY BROTHER AND MY BEST FRIEND!!!" 

"B-ben" He blinked, coming back to himself for a split second at his brother's words, struck by the resolution on his face as he stood his ground against him.

"So, please, don't say stuff like that about my best friend." He continued softly, his eyes glinting with tears. 

He descended back to the ground, his feet hitting the cement as he struggled to close the door inside himself, to control the inflow of spirits stepping through. It wasn't working, he felt worse the more he pushed and so much better when he gave in and summoned just one more. It was like his first high all over again, it terrified him, "Ben! I'm sorry!!, I'm sorry, I can't, I can't make it stop. I don't know what's happening! It won't go away, I'm cold Ben! I'm just so cold." 

Ben froze, a look of dread falling over his face, "Dave, go get Vanya!!" 

Dave didn't move, didn't take his gaze off of Klaus, "B-but Klaus?" 

"Dave, whatever's happening to Klaus, looks too damn similar to what killed me and I'm not taking any chances! I might be corpale and I can try to restrain him for as long as I can, but I'm still only a ghost, if Klaus can't take control of his powers, then he can just as easily banish me as he can summon me. Our brother Five has been M.I.A for days, which means Vanya's the only other person I know strong enough to take him down!" Ben braced himself, the horror slithering out of him and wrapping around Klaus while he forced himself to hold still, fighting the urge to break free, to summon more and fight back. -"NOW GO!" 

___________________________________

He didn't know what was happening, how the fuck Klaus was floating and why the dead were literally rising from the grave, he just ran. Ran through the flurry of tortured souls that tried to grab at him, dodging the equally panicked convention goers heading for every exit and he ran in search of Vanya, cause she was apparently their luke Skywalker in this sifi. 

Dave was honestly scared of what she might have to do. He'd seen how she reacted that first day in her cafe and that was her holding back. It made his stomach churn, the last thing he wanted was for Klaus to get hurt, but he also understood whatever was happening to him, was out of his control and someone had to stop him. Ben even said it reminded him of the way he had died, he just hoped it didn't come to that, he hoped to god that Klaus came out of this in one piece.

Coming into the main hall, he saw a mess of tipped over tables and kiosks, only a handful that were still right side up, one of which had Audry crouched underneath with Vanya curled up by her side. 

"Adury! Vanay!" He tried to get under the table with them, but he was too big for the little space left over. So he laid flat on his stomach and popped his head in, hoping the spirits kept their distance like they did in the courtyard. 

"What happened!?" He asked, noticing Vanya's crumpled form. 

"It's too loud in here, she's trying to control her reaction to the noise, but it's too much." Audry explained, her hand softly combing through Vanya's hair. 

"No!, that's great, or not super great, I, what I'm trying to say is we need her in the courtyard. Klaus, he, he's doing all of this. He doesn't look incontrol of himself, Ben says it might kill him." 

Vanya looked up then, watery eyes wide in fear. "Take me to him." She whispered fervently. 

They crawled out from under the table, but from the short time they were under there, it looked like the number of ghosts had already tripled. 

"Shit!" Audry hissed, reaching a hand out to Vanya who grabbed it in hers and lacing their fingers together. Glancing away from the gesture, he told himself to ask about it later and returned his attention to the wall of undead stumbling closer to them. 

"Vanya, do you think you can clear us a path?" He asked over his shoulder, his arms spread to sheild the girls behind himself. He was almost certain that the ghost kept clear of him, but they were rapidly filling up the entire building and running straight through a throng of them this big, was a little different. Plus he was starting to think the further away from Klaus they were, the more free will they gained. The ghosts in the halls were definitely a lot meaner than the ones in the courtyard.

Vanya shrugged her shoulders, chewing her thumb nail nervously, "I've never had to fight a ghost, but I can try." 

"That's all I'm asking." 

_______________

When they got there, Klaus was suspended in the air once again. Ben was gone, meaning he must have been banished, but even so, Klaus was still fighting against himself, teeth grit as he grew paler and paler, his temple sweaty and his chest heaving, like the summoning was hurting him, like it was killing him. 

"Klaus!" Vanya stepped forward, she was hesitant to attack her brother, she'd never sparred with them as kids, let alone used her powers against someone in any perciosion, but before she could gather the courage to at least give him a warning, a loud bang resonated behind them, then Klaus was falling.  
__________________

His heart stopping in his chest, he lurched forward, jumping and intercepting Klaus before he could hit the ground, his hands cradling his head and neck and his shoulder crunching as they rolled across the cament before coming to a stop. 

"Klaus?"- He asked softly, gently holding his face in his hands and wondering why he wasn't opening his eyes.

"Klaus?!" His hand felt around his neck for a pulse, but he couldn't discern between klaus' and his own, then he noticed the stain on his shirt, his trembling fingers brushing against it and coming back wet and red. He looked at them, then at klaus, his chest was oozing blood from a bullet wound. His lungs constricted, he couldn't breath, he didn't know why this was happening. It shouldn't be happening.

He tried looking for his aura, but it wasn't there. He saw nothing, he felt nothing from him and he never knew how much he could hate that. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew the rubber band had snapped, that the tragedy he had been anticipating was happening right now. Even as he tried to put pressure on the wound and will all of the blood back into Klaus' body, part of him already knew it was over and it hurt. It hurt so fucking bad. He felt like he was being ripped in half, like a chunk of his soul was violently torn from his chest, and maybe it was, maybe Klaus had been a missing part of him that he'd only just gotten to know. 

"No. No. No. No. Klaus! Please open your eyes! Please! You're okay! You're okay!"- a hand touched his shoulder, he turned around to see Vanya and Audry there, crying much the same as him. 

"Dave." Audry started, but he didn't want to hear it, shrugging her off and turning back to Klaus, bloody finger stroking his cheek. 

"No! He's okay, we can get him a doctor! Take him to the hospital! Where's a medic!? There's gotta be a medic here!?" Just as it was out of his mouth, a flurry of paramedics came through, spotting Klaus in his arms and immediately getting to work. 

He reluctantly moved to the side, Letting them do their thing, telling himself they'd help him, but then, they were stopping, shaking their heads and putting away their instruments, "Time of death?"- one of them called out. 

"4:50 pm." Came the response.

He watched them pull out a sheet and place it over his body. He watched as they put him on a gurney and rolled him away. The world swerved out of focus, distorting like a circus mirror as he and the girls followed close behind. Nothing was real, Klaus was okay, he repeated to himself. This is normal. He reasoned, believing he lived in some twisted reality where it was. Then they zipped him into a body bag, and it clicked. 

"KLAUS!" He tried to get to him, but he was held back.

"Hay man, there's nothing more they can do!" An officer shouted at him wetly, strong arming him away from the body bag. 

"Deigo!" Vanya came running to them, the officer releasing him in favour of pulling her into a hug. The two of them clinging to each other in a sobbing mess. He didn't know the officer, but he recognized his name as one of Klaus' many brothers. 

He stood there dumbstruck, not noticing the commotion coming out of the front doors.

"Why am I being detained!? I saved everyone!?" 

It was Preston, handcuffed with two police officers guiding him out. He took one look at him and wiggled out of their grasp, sprinting straight to him. 

"Dave! Tell these people I'm a hero, I saved everyone, you were there!" 

He didn't want to deal with him at all, or ever again, but it was practically conditioned into him to respond against his better judgement."What-What did you do?"- he asked blankly, the man's face blurry through his red teary eyes. 

Preston stomped his foot, "I shot that fucking demon hell spawn!! I warned everyone he was too powerful and dangerous and needed to be taken care of!!! But did anyone listen to m-" 

CRACK!

Preston went down like a sack of potatoes, landing on his ass from the first hit. He was screaming his head off after the second and third, followed by the fourth and fifth.

Now, Dave's said many times before he's never fought a person in his life, and maybe punching your ex while they were handcuffed might have been a bitch move, but after five years of his life wasted on a man that had been cheating on him from day fucking one, then admiting to your face that they killed the love your life, well, Dave thinks he gets a pass. He thinks he gets all the fucking passes.

He rounded on him, officers scrambling to break them up, but not nearly as quickly as they could have, cause Dave got more than just a few good hits in. All his rage and pain erupting out of him, years of pent up emotions he was never aloud to express, finally boiling over, "YOU KILLED HIM!! You killed Klaus!!! FUCK YOU!! FUCK YOU, for five years of fucking lies!!! Five years of abuse!!! Five fucking years I wasted on you!!! When I could have had five years of Kluas!!! But I didn't even get one!!! Cause you killed him!!! You killed him." 

He was eventually pulled off of Preston, who looked at him with his bloody bashed up face, like he was the monster. Dave couldn't care less, couldn't spare a spec of sympathy for what little emotion Preston actually felt. Nothing mattered anymore, he didn't think it ever would. 

A female officer walked over to him, pulling out a pair of handcuffs, but before she could get to him, Diego stepped out- "No, I got this one."- He said, pulling him up and rattling off his miranda rights as he cuffed him. Dave let it happen, happy to rot in jail for the rest of his life, cause the one thing he knew that gave it meaning, was gone. 

"Alright, I appreciate you doing that, I was ready to do it myself, but I would have lost my job, but I promise you, I'll make sure you get off as lightly as possible. I have many favours owed to me by many people in very high places, it might not even be on your record. " Deigo told him lowly, guiding him into the back of his cruiser. 

He sniffed, shaking his head and looking up at him, "I don't care what happens to me, as long as I get to be there when he's laid to rest." 

Diego didn't say anything, just nodded and clapped his back a few times before shutting the door. He looked over to the body bag one last time, not knowing when he'd get to see Klaus, or what was left of him again, then he did a double take, cause he could have sworn he saw it twitch. He popped his leg out of the car, stopping the door from closing all the way and leaning forward to look a little closer.

It happened again, the body bag was definitely moving. He thought he might be going insane, but he's seen so much crazy shit already, that if Kluas was somehow still alive…..Standing out of the cruiser and pushing past Diego, he darted over to it.

"Hay! The hell do you think you're doing?!" Diego grabbed his shoulder, trying to pull him back, but he shook him off, falling to his knees in front of the bag.

"I saw it move, Klaus is still alive!" He shouted, eyes scanning for movement, but it was still. Why was it still again!?

"Come on man, just stop." Diego took his elbow, making to guide him away again, but he shrugged him off even harder than before, his panic rising at the prospect of being wrong. 

"No! Someone open the goddamn bag!" 

Diego rubbed his face, turning around to hold his hand up to stop the approaching police officers then coming to crouch down next to him, "Okay, I'm going to let you look at him one last time, if it will put you at ease once and for all, then you're going back in the cruiser, got it?" 

"Please just open the bag." He begged, seeing the opaque swirl of a new aura forming around it. His heart hammering in anticipation, auras were only ever translucent when someone was being born, or in this case, reborn. 

Diego pulled the zipper open, immediately turning his head away from the pale unblinking face of his brother. Except, it was blinking. 

"Hay, thanks for letting me out bro, I was calling for help but I don't think you guys heard me, I definitely heard a fight though, who got their ass kicked and did you get it on video?" Kluas' sat up, wincing at the pressure on his wound, then looked to his side, seeing Dave beside him on his knees, eyes wide and pouring with tears. 

"Dave! Oh my god I didn't kill you! I'm so sorry you had to see me like that!" He grasped his face, touching him up and down as if reassuring himself he was a solid figure. 

Dave grinned, his head dizzy with the relief and euphoria of seeing Klaus alive again, "I'm just glad to be seeing you at all." He breathed out, diving in to press his mouth to klaus', savoring the warm lips that kissed him back.

Kluas hands combing through and tugging his hair, his tongue slipping over his and deepening the kiss. Then he slowly pulled back, his eyebrows creased in confusion, "What? Where are your- did you get arrested!?" - he exclaimed, noticing the handcuffs, a wicked smile on his face -"I honestly didn't think you could get sexier, but I was so, so wrong." 

"Klaus!!" Vanya and Audry came running, pulling him into their arms, Deigo coming in behind them to envelope them in the biggest hug. Dave sat back for a moment, literally feeling the love from everyone there, and it felt good. 

No one noticing the young man stood off in the distance, briefcase in hand and a self satisfied smile on his face as he glanced down at a pocket watch, "Guess I got it right this time around, and it only took me 91 tries." 

_______________________________

END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, super sorry for the late update and It might look like I left some ploy holes, but those will definitely be filled in, in my next series. Let me know what you thought about Audrey's redemption arc? If her relationship with Vanya felt too rushed? Did Dave deserve more than a knee to the groin? I really enjoyed writing this story and seeing all the positive response it got.


	7. The aftermath is secondary.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of last chapters events, Dave still gets arrested and Klaus meets some unfortunate set backs in his sobritey at the hospital, but it's only the beginning for the two of them. Both Dave and Klaus are aware of the bumpy road ahead, after everything that's happened between them, but they're more then willing to work for it. Heart to hearts are had and new siblings are met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished!!! Oh boy, this took some time,(but don't worry there's a smut scene at the end to make up for it, even though I'm not that great at smut, you have been warned.)
> 
> Probably not as thrilling as I was originally planning this chapter, but who was I kidding trying to top ch 6? I scrapped the court scene, for now at least, still debating it. I'm definitely doing a chiller, slice of life style follow up to this, not too settled on a title yet, open to ideas if anyone's got any, kinda want it to be still in the spooky theme like this one.
> 
> Sorry in advance if I missed any typos or errors.

Dave rubbed his wrists as he made his way down the sidewalk, he'd forgotten how much handcuffs hurt when they were the kind used outside of the bedroom. It was around eight O'clock when he had finally been released from the police station, he was fined a couple hundred for disorderly conduct and given a stern warning, but other than that, his record was untouched, just as Diego said it would be. 

A horn honks behind him and he turns around just as a car rolls to a stop beside him. The tinted window rolling down slowly to reveal Officer Hargreeves. 

"Need a ride?" He asks from the open window. 

"If you're on your way to Klaus, then I would definitely appreciate a ride." He responded stiffly, feeling completely out of his depth in front of the man that had just arrested him and who was also the brother of his..sorta...maybe…. hopefully boyfriend. 

"I am, now get in." Diego answers curtly, peeling into the street before he could even close the passenger side door. 

"Do you know how he's doing?" He finally asked after a couple minutes of awkward silence. He wished he could have been with Klaus when he was taken to the hospital, but he had still been handcuffed and there were too many officers at the scene to just allow him to go. 

"Vanya called me a couple hours ago, said he was getting the bullet taken out and that he might have a minor concussion...So nothing serious, he should be fine by the time we get there." 

His breath caught in his throat, Klaus didn't sound alright at all. He'd literally died this afternoon, he knows for fact he had, he just wasn't sure if anyone else did. Even still, Diego was acting strangely unphased about the state of his brother. But before he could voice any of these concerns, Diego was already switching the subject.

"So, this wasn't your first time being arrested huh?" He commented casually. Dave nodded silently in reply, his heart thumping madly in his chest. 

"Multiple accounts of public intoxication and even a DUI." He could feel Diego's intentions were a combination of curiosity and protectiveness for his brother, but he didn't appreciate having his past dug up at this very moment.-"Gotta say, I was surprised, you seem like such a clean cut guy Dave."

He clenched his fists, his mind twisting down a nasty path with all the memories of the past he'd kept buried for so long. He knew how he looked now, how goody two shoes and square he came off as, cause that's exactly how he wanted to look. The exact opposite of the man he had been during all those arrests Diego was referencing. It was so long ago, but Dave knows that man too well, Klaus even got a glimpse of him the night before. It made his stomach churn knowing he had seen that, seen the worst part of him. He still had to apologise, didn't feel like the meager thing he sputtered out in the courtyard was nearly enough for the royal fuck up he committed in the club. 

"It was a long time ago, I'm not that guy anymore." He says as calmly as he can, even though his pulse feels like a drum line to a war march.

Diego side eyed him before looking back to the road, his face blank of any emotion and Dave was glad he didn't know he could read him like a book even without the body language, not that he would need it, cause he would soon learn Diego was the kind of guy to say exactly what he thought, "Oh, I'm certain that you aren't, cause if you were, I'd bleed you like a pig."

A shiver ran up his spine, he could feel just how solid that threat was. Diego's aura was a deep purple that outlined his person much like Vanya's white halo when she had lost control all those months ago, like the blue blaze that encapsulated Klaus in the courtyard. The Hargeeves were other worldly and Dave, not for the first time, was completely thrown by the kinds of people he's gotten himself involved with. 

"So far you're in the clear buddy, but know this; Klaus has been sober for half a year, I'm talking everything, no alcohol, no drugs, not even weed. He's been doing so good and I'm really fucking proud of him for getting his shit together. I don't know all the details that got him there, but I do know you're one of them, so if you ever stop being a positive influence and somehow give him cause to relapse? Then all I can say is that I can and will erase you from existence. I can do that Dave, make you disappear and it would be so easy for a guy with my connections." 

He gulped, nodding and relocating his gaze to outside the car window, grinding his teeth at the self satisfaction Diego was feeling for spooking him. Klaus had four other siblings he still has yet to meet, would he be able to handle that many more shovel talks? He closed his eyes and leaned back in the car seat, he was met with the mental image of Klaus, his soft black curls he always found himself combing through as they watched a movie snuggled together on his couch. The mischievous twinkle in his green eyes as he helped him remove a soggy pair of joggers. His healthy glow in the diner booth. The tantalizing swing of his hips at the club. The feel of his lips as he kissed him all the while sat inside an honest to God body bag. Even power crazed and raising the dead, Klaus was still so beautiful in so many ways. Dave could admit with absolute certainty, that he was worth it, he'd always be worth it. 

____________________________

The moment they walked into the waiting room, Dave could already feel the suffocating anxiety and guilt swirling between Vanya and Audry. 

"What's wrong?" He asked, not liking the look on their faces anymore then the emotions radiating out of them. 

Vanay shook her head and slumped down on one of the chairs, "He just got out of surgery." -Was all she said, Audry, biting her lip, nodded in confirmation beside her, looking just as resigned as Vanya did. 

For a moment he wasn't catching on to what the issue was. That was good wasn't it? He had a bullet in his chest after all and it needed to come out, so surgery was necessary. It finally clicked just as Diego grit out an angry "FUCK!" behind him. The man falling into a chair of his own next to Vanya and Audry, a wary hand scrubbing over his tired eyes. 

"They gave him Anastasia?" He whispered to himself, addressing the elephant in the room without actually meaning to. 

"And morphine" Audry added, her hand rubbing soothing circles over Vanya's back. 

He was surprised that her own devastation was almost as potent as Vanya and Diego's. It made him wonder how well she must know Klaus now and for a brief moment, a sour tang of jealousy flared up inside of him. The sudden realization that for the six months Dave hadn't been there for Klaus, Audry most likely had. It made him lagitmently upset, but he didn't have time to ruminate too far into it, cause Vanya was following up on Audry's statement, her eyes red and tired as she looked up at him,"We saw him for a couple minutes while he was being moved to a room, he's pretty out of it though. They said we could see him again once they got him settled, but visiting hours are going to be over soon." 

"Damnit!" Diego ran a hand through his hair, his complex feelings shifting towards a solid brick red of anger. Dave was inclined to sooth it and came to sit next to him, setting a comforting hand over his shoulder, while his own mind whirled with the devastation of what this all meant. Half a year clean and Klaus had technically relapsed, but to no fault of his own. He knew too well what it felt like to have all of your progress and hard work thrown away, how frustrating and hopeless staying clean seemed after.

"For Hargreeves?" A nurse called, walking into the waiting room and stumbling at the number of people who instantly stood up at her arrival. -"Okay, were going to have to do two at a time for visits, who would like to go first?" 

The four of them exchanged looks with each other, he was about to suggest that Vanya and Diego go first, but then Diego clapped him on the back and guided him down the hall with the nurse.  
____________

"He might still be asleep; he's been in and out of consciousness for a while, but by morning that should demanish." She gestured towards the door, Diego paused before going in. 

"H-How m-much did you give him?" 

"How much-?"

"Anastasia, m-morphine, anything else you gave him, he's a r-r-recovering addict." Diego breathed out tersely, his eyes flickering to the prone form of his brother laying in a bed just beyond the door. 

"I'm sorry sir, I can't say, I didn't administer the medications, i'd have to check his file, but I am very sorry this happened to him." Diego nodded not saying anything else as he finally opened the door and walked in, Dave following close behind. 

He came to the side of the bed, Kluas' eyes were closed, his head bandaged and an IV hooked up to his left arm. Dave felt almost nauseous seeing him like this. Klaus was just so still and silent, his mind filled with images of klaus' empty eyed stare, face pale with Dave's crimson stained fingerprints staining his cheek. The panic in his chest was almost unbearable as he pleaded for him to wake up. He felt like it was happening all over again, but looking around himself he knew logically that everything was fine. Klaus was alive and breathing, no more guns, no more blood... everything was fine. He repeated it over and over to himself, squeezing his eyes shut, his lashes damp with the moisture welling in them, then he wiped it away as discreetly as he could, silently hoping Diego had the decency to not point it out. The man standing just a little bit behind him, closer to the door as he watched his brother sleep.

"I've seen him in all kinds of fucked up states, pissed out of his mind, higher then a fucking satalite and so many god damn overdoses, but it never gets easier." Diego sighed, looking to the IV's and narrowing his eyes at the morphine bag next to the fluids. 

Dave nodded,"I don't think it ever will." He said quietly, not certain if Diego even heard, but he didn't think it mattered cause the sentiment was already a given wasn't it? He pulled klaus' left hands into his own, frowning at how cold it was. Klaus needed more blankets. Why didn't he have more blankets or at least a shirt? What kind of hospital was this?! 

"Dave?" He looked down at the faint call of his name. Klaus was opening his eyes, his fingers twitching to grasp more firmly onto him. 

"D'ego?" He stretched his neck to the side as his brother walked closer. 

"I don fel quite right." He slurred, blinking heavily and fighting to stay awake. 

Dave's chest ached as he watched understanding dawned on him. His throat growing tight as Klaus slowly crumbled into pieces and even then it was a lethargic break with the morphine slowing him to a crawl when he wanted run and Dave was right there breaking down alongside him, feeling all of his disappointment and deviation like it was his own.

"I-I feel high!" Klaus wailed hoarsely, his voice wavering wetly as he looked at the IV in his arm, tracing the tubes up to the bags connected to them, his free hand raising in their direction. 

"Klaus, dont!" Diego grabbed his wrist before he could move to pull the IV's out, his eyes hard as he glared him into submission.

"D'ego, no! I don't….don't... want!" Klaus panted between words, he was fighting the morphine and Anastasia but the drugs were clearly winning out. 

"Klaus, it's okay." Dave whispered, squeezing his hand in reassurance, but he could see it on klaus' face that it really wasn't, the desperation in his eyes dimming as they started to droop once more before finally giving in and dropping off completely, his hand falling limp in his palm as every muscles in his body went lax. He was done for the night and Dave just hoped the morning would be kinder. 

"We should probably go and give the girls their turn before visiting hours end." He rubbed his eyes, schooling his face as he turned to Diego, the man still staring down intently at his brother.

"It's...j-just, s-s-so fru-frust-t-erating wh-when i-i What-Whatched h-him wor-work s-so h-hard." He struggled through the sentence, his face red in embarrassment and frustration as the tears collecting in his eyes gradually sloped down his face. Dave was stunned silent for a moment. 

"Yeah, it really is." And it was, everything about the situation made him so angry. He was honestly exhausted with the amount of shit life kept throwing at Klaus. Glancing one last time at him, sleeping in the middle of the hospital bed that somehow looked too big for him, he knew it would be different from now on. He wouldn't let him suffer alone ever again. 

"You're a good brother for staying with him, I'm just sorry I couldn't have been there too." 

Diego smiled, but the sadness never left his eyes, "It's what family does, just wish I could say the same for the rest of my siblings." 

___________________________________

The morning was indeed kinder, the sun bright in the sky and gracing everyone with a warm breeze that blew in from Klaus' open window, said man in much higher spirits as he greeted his guests, "So, my six month sobriety stint is over. I'm impressed with how far I was able to make it, definitely completed the mission that originally set me on this eye opening path, but alas, all good things must come to an end. So if you don't mind, I just told my nurse I was having severe back pains and am waiting on that glorious morphine refill. I'd very much like to enjoy it in solitude cause this stuff is not cheap on the old alternative market. Come back at twelve and I should be mostly coherent by then" -Klaus announced to the room at large, leaning back in the bed with his hands behind his head. 

Dave was simultaneously charmed and annoyed at the ease he just admitted to his plans of relapse. But he understood it, he himself still felt guilty about his momentary return to alcohol, felt like he might as well throw it all to the wayside and go back to being the tumultuous drunk he had been, but he wouldn't, cause he knew logically that wasn't the right way to handle your guilt and he knew Klaus knew that too, so there was no way in hell he was going to allow that kind of self sabotage. 

"No Klaus, you're still sober, you were shot and needed surgery to remove the bullet, it was absolutely necessary for your health, so it doesn't have to count if you don't want it to. But no matter what Klaus, you're staying sober." He stated sternly, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared Klaus down with a look that booked no arguments, at least he hoped it did. He was desperately trying not to buckle under the silent stares of Diego and Vanay who stood on either side of him, both emitting equally shocked emotions. 

Klaus pursed his lips, his brows furrowing before finally melting into a softer expression, his eyes twinkling with that tell tale spark of mischief that made Dave's blood burn in an agonizingly sweet way. "I want to fight you on this, but I can't cause you're really fucking sexy when you get all commanding and shit." 

Diego and Vanya both groaned, but Dave couldn't contain his blush, fighting the sappy smile twitching on his lips. It was seconds later that the door opened and a nurse walked in, a fresh syringe of morphine in her hands. 

"No." Degio held his hand up, stopping the perplexed nurse from coming any closer. 

"He's a recovering addict, no more drugs….please?" He elaborated further for the nurse. She blinked, then nodded and about faced right back out the door. 

Diego turned to Klaus and rolled his eyes at the shit eating grin on his face. "You guys...sort yourselves out, we're going to go do whatever paper work they need us to do."- then left with Vanay, the door swinging shut behind them, leaving him and Klaus alone for the first time in what felt like forever. 

Dave sighed and sat down in the chair at klaus' bedside, reaching over to warm his cold hands between his palms. Klaus watched the gesture, a softness in his eyes as he looked to him and smiled. Dave grinned back all the wider, relishing in these small unrestrained moments between them.

"You actually died klaus." It wasn't what he wanted to say. No, he wanted to talk about the hospital food, or how scratchy the blankets looked and how long he would need to keep those stitches in. But he said this instead, cause he knew it couldn't be left unsaid. It had been in the forefront of his mind since he'd seen him resurrect in real time from inside a body bag. 

He shrugged, his eyes falling downcast as he laced their fingers together. "Yeah, well, dead stuff doesn't stay very dead around me, so is it such a surprise that myself would be included in that?" 

Dave nodded, it made sense in the way that it could only really make sense for Klaus and Klaus alone. It was possibly the only way he could wrap his head around it at all. Klaus, much like the rest of the Hargreeves, was an anomaly and Dave was in too deep to really mind it as much as he probably should. In all honesty it just served to further spark his curiosity. "D-did you see anything?"

Klaus frowned and tipped his head,"A field and then a light, then I woke up inside the body bag." 

The mention of a field struck him, pieces of his dream quickly coming back to him, but there was no way his dream could have been the same place as.. "Was there….a hill? Did you see a hill at all?" 

Klaus thought for a moment then his eyebrows raised and his eyes widened,"I, I think there was….I was on top of the hill looking down at the field actually. How did you know that?" 

"I had a dream, the night after….after what happened at the nightclub, I had a dream..it was a premonition. I-I get those sometimes." He chewed on his bottom lip, his nerves rising at the loaded statement he'd just made and he wasn't sure what was more terrifying, the fact that he admitted to sometimes having premonitions or the night club and the things that happened there being brought up again, this time in a less hectic and more stable setting where things can be properly discussed. Was he even ready for that yet? He was certainly ready to get on his knees and grovel if that's what it took. He just wasn't ready to face any of the anger or disappointment Klaus would have in him. 

"Klaus, I'm so, so sorry about the way I treated you at the club." He decided to go ahead and lay it all bare and get the worst of it out of the way.

"No, Dave don't-" Klaus held a finger to his lips. It reminded him of that day in the kitchen and a warmth bubbled in his stomach. He pushed it down though, cause that train of thought wasn't appropriate for the current moment. 

"I am Klaus, I haven't stopped feeling like shit since it happened and-" 

Klaus huffed, grabbing his face between his hands and forcing him to meet his eyes,"Dave, I'm okay. I've honestly had so much worse said to me by many, many inebriated men and women alike. Plus, I should be apologizing to you." 

That didn't make him feel any better, it made him feel worse actually, "What!? No, Klaus you did nothing wrong!" 

"Dave, I almost raised the entire population of LA's dearly departed and tournament quite a few people while at it. And for a very, very brief moment, you and Preston were the first on my list to join my little undead army." His eyes were dark and vacant, like even thinking about it put him back in that twisted mindframe, but he blinked and shook it off just as quickly as it was there, replacing it with a forced grin that spoke little reassurance to Dave. 

Goosebumps prickled his skin, any other person might have been able to write a look like that off as a fluke, especially for someone you were in love with, but Dave wasn't just anyone. He could feel the exact kind of fridged, dark, and almost bloodthirsty chaos Klaus was experiencing in that short moment of detachment. It's the most vivid and detailed emotions he's ever felt with someone and he thinks it might be the strength of their connection that made it so intense. Like wherever Klaus went in his head, Dave would be there too, if only just a toes dip into the murky waters that flooded the man's psyche. Dave was actually thankful that Klaus at least wouldn't have to be so alone in such a dark place. No matter how disturbing and truly dark it got.

"I...I forgive you."  
______________

The sky was clear as they wheeled Klaus out into the parking lot. He was finally discharged and free to return home, all the way in New York city. 

"Are you coming with us?"-klaus asked, staring up at him from his wheelchair, looking hesitant to get into Diego's car. 

His heart clinched, but he shook his head. "Not today, Klaus. I still have some loose ends to tie up before I can go back to New York, but I promise you I will be back as soon as I can." 

Klaus sighed, nodding his head solemnly, glancing to Diego's tapping foot near the open passenger side door, then back at him. "H-how long do you think it will be till you can come back?" 

He sounded so unsure, looked so scared as he bit his lip, wide green eyes peering up at him and Dave was once again completely mesmerized by his beauty, astonished to have even a fraction of this man's attention, let alone all of it. He was overcome with the impulse to take it all back and say he'd be back that day, but he had to do this right, so that once he did get back to New York, he could stay with no other obligations to return. No other obligations to leave Klaus again. It would realistically take at least a couple months to end and pay off his lease, pack his belongings, transfer his savings and cancel his and Preston's joint bank accounts. 

"A month, I'll be back in a month I promise." He said, holding Klaus face in his hands and pressing their foreheads together. Klaus smiled and leaned in to press a chast kiss to his lips before pulling away with a cheeky grin. 

"One month Dave, if you're even a day late I'll send Ben to haunt you!" He called out, wheeling himself the rest of the way to Diego's car. 

He stood in the middle of the parking lot, waving goodbye the whole way as Diego pulled out into the road, his world coating in shades of greys now that Klaus was gone. He wasn't looking forward to the next four weeks, but he could do it, he could do anything if it was for Klaus. 

_____________________________

It was a month and two weeks when he finally finished everything he needed to do before moving to New York permanently. He and Klaus had been texting and calling back and forth during the time, though things were a little morose with the delays in his original plan to get out of LA in a month tops, but he kept reminding himself it would all be with it in the end. 

He's labelling boxes alone in his apartment when a chill settles over him, he knows who it is before he has a chance to dodge the hand grabbing him by the shoulder. 

"You said a month." 

Dave stumbled back, tripping over a box and landing on his ass, then crab walking himself back as Ben loomed over him, his shirt shifting as a tentacle slithered out. 

"I'm only two weeks late. I'll be on the plane to New York first thing tomorrow." 

Ben paused, his eyes looking skyward in exasperation and his emerging tentacle receding back to where it came from. "That dumbass" he muttered under his breath, extending a hand out for Dave to take. 

He looked at it for a moment, then grabbed it, realizing Ben was solid as their grasps locked and Ben pulled him up and back to his feet.

"firm grip." He said, marveling at how strong he was, Dave was almost positive by now that Ben could have definitely defended himself against him back when they first met. 

"Yeah, it's nice being corpal, not the same as being alive, but similar." He responded coolly, flexing his grip in front of himself.- "So, Klaus sent me to haunt you cause he didn't think you were coming back at all." 

Dave frowned, "Of course I'm coming back, I just ran into some set backs is all. We've been talking, I have no idea why he would think that." 

Ben sighed and sat down on his couch, he followed suit sitting next to him. "Klaus….has some major insecurities, especially now that he's sober. The only reason we actually came all the way here was because he really was freaking out, convinced himself that you changed your mind at some point and-" 

"Wait, we?" He asked, just as the doorbell rang. He shot out of his seat and went straight to the door, not even bothering to look through the peephole and pulled it open. 

"I got sober for you, there's no way you're getting away from me!" Klaus bellowed, stood in the doorway with a suitcase and backpack, looking pale and tired, his eye makeup smudged with a little bit of it on his cheek, like he had tried to clean it up in a haste. He wore baggy ripped jeans and a long oversized sweater with what looked like coffee stains on it and Dave had never seen a more beautiful creature. He laughed, picking him up in a bear hug and pulling him into the apartment. His bags fell forgotten to the side and the door kicked closed as Klaus instantly wrapped his legs around him, giggling like a kid as he was spun around. 

"I'll be… around. You guys better be decent when I'm back in the morning!" Ben called out to no real response, quickly phasing through the closed door.  
________________________________

It was like his world soaked into HD color, every fiber of his being singing a sweet tune with Klaus in his arms. He saw him a month ago, but that was a tense, far too short of a time and before that it was five months of practically nothing at all. This though, was the reunion he was wanting, every month that went by without him, this was what he imagined, Klaus clinging to him, kissing him, his hands in his hair. 

Dave walked them to the couch, kicking boxes out of the way as he went and tossing him down. His eyes were heavy with arousal and his face flushed such a vibrant pink, just like his aura, swirling pretty shades of pink and red. Dave crawled up to him, settling himself between his legs, snickering at the spike of anticipation coming from Klaus. He surged up, saddling his lap as their mouths connecting again tongues sliding together, hands grappling at each others shirts and stripping them off. He could feel Kluas hands working at the button and fly of his pants and groaning into the kiss at the sensation of his warm palm gripping him through his boxers. They broke apart, Klaus smirking as he kneaded him a little harder.

"Little minx." He growled, slipping a hand into klaus' jeans and huffing at the absence of underwear he found there. He gave him a couple firm tugs, feeling unreasonably turned on by klaus' apparent habit of going commando, then thrilling even further at the way his breath picked up and his hand stuttered in it's menstruations before spurring on to grasp him skin to skin.

"Ah, fuck" Klaus picked up his pace just as he did, the two of them panting between kisses, their pants gradually sliding down their legs as they worked eachother. Dave was close, but he didn't know if he wanted to finish like this. He's never gotten so close so quickly in his entire adult life, but the feeling of klaus' hand, his tongue and teeth that nipped along his jaw. 

"K-klaus." He hissed, stopping his movement and just holding him in his hand instead. 

Klaus huffed, gripping the back of his hair,- "Unless you say red, then I'm not stopping." He whispered into his ear, stroking him faster and rutting up into his hand in tandem. 

Dave shivered, his voice caught in his throat, blood burning and every nerve in his body sparking like fireworks throughout his body. He didn't even have half the mind to remove his hand from where it held Klaus, cause he didn't have the time to. He gave in, his hips shuddered as he came over Klaus' hand, his own grip tightening on instinct. 

"Oh fuck!" Klaus gasped, his hips still moving lazily into his palm as he rode out his orgasm before laying back down on the couch, his legs falling open to accompany Dave who nestled himself between them, his head resting over Kluas' chest, both of them shivering together in the aftershocks as they caught their breath. 

"Telling by the boxes, I'm probably not moving in am I?" 

Dave laughed, shaking his head no against Klaus' chest, "I'll be taking the first plane to New York bright and early tomorrow. I told you I was coming, didn't I?" 

He shrugged, his fingers gently carding through his hair, "I got scared. Accidentally asked myself 'what if' and then it was all downhill from there and I couldn't stop. Ben eventually found me a mess in my room and told me if I really needed to see you, then I should do it, so we did." 

Dave grimaced, not liking how klaus round himself up to the point that it took him to the other side of the fucking country on the drop of a dime. "Klaus, I wouldn't leave you, not without saying so at least, but even then it would never happen." 

His hand stilled for a moment, he could feel klaus' aura dousing in relife with the edges just barely tinged in apprehensive, before continuing the soothing motions through his hair. "I-I know...now, it's just at the time I was really, really scared you were-" 

"Throwing you away?" He finished for him, knowing this was yet another thing between them that needed to be discussed. Because it was a wound, one Dave was responsible for and he couldn't let it fester, not like he did with Preston. He wanted to do things right with Klaus. It wasn't going to be a smooth journey, they were both deeply wounded individuals with some scars that had no hope of fully healing, but that didn't mean they couldn't still try to be as healthy as possible for each other? 

Klaus sniffed, his nose congested with emotion as his eyes watered. "Yeah, sometimes it felt like that, but I know you had every right to make the decision you did." 

"No Klaus, my judgement was clouded but I knew exactly how you felt the moment I picked him over you and I still let it happen. I let you go feeling strung along and discarded, it wasn't right, you deserved better than that Klaus, but I promise that's exactly what I'll give you." 

"Dave, Dave, it's okay honestly. I've said this before and I'll say it again, I've had so much worse. You my friend, are a saint compared to the kind of people I messed around with back in the day and you couldn't have known exactly how I felt at the time, I really wasn't that hurt." 

Dave sighed, gently pressing his hand to klaus' cheek, his thumb stroking the skin under his eye, "Klaus, please don't lie to me."- He pleaded softly. 

Klaus looked at him curiously, his eyes searching his face in interest, "Last I checked Dave Katz, you're a Capricorn, so how do you know me so well?" 

He couldn't hold back the chuckle, amazed at how easily Klaus had caught on. Preston barely believed him when he tried to explain his empathy, even said it wasn't as relevant as mediumship and wouldn't make for good content, he hadn't bothered telling him about the auras after that. But it seemed like Klaus must of already suspected something from early on. He never thought it was that apparent, not that he was a flashy guy in any respect. "It's really not that special, even if you would believe me-" 

Klaus cut him off with a snort, "Dave, I can conjure the dead and I literally died and came back to life last month, my whole family defies the laws of reality on a daily basis, I can just about believe anything." 

Yeah okay, Dave thought, that was definitely a more comforting factor to take in, "Its not a superpower or anything, I just have a stronger perception of other people's emotions. I can soak em up like a sponge, mirror them, sometimes even take em from people to an extent, but it's actually pretty draining on myself when I do that last one." 

"So…. you're an empath?" Klaus asked, not even looking the least bit surprised at the revelation. 

"Y-yeah I am, didn't know you knew what it was." He replied, scratching his nose awkwardly, he wasn't expecting this conversation to be so…..easy. When he had told Preston all those years ago, he wanted proof and hard evidence to convince him something like that even existed, but with Klaus, he just believed him. 

"Of course I know what it is. I was all up in that hokus pokus, hoodoo voodoo stuff. I've met a couple empaths along the way." 

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." 

"Man, spending time with me must be exhausting." 

Dave scrunched his nose, he couldn't say he agreed with that statement, but he couldn't say he disagreed either. "It's not always exhausting. I mean, I feel everyone else just as much as I feel you, but it's only really the intensity and frequency of someone's emotions, like right now you're happy and content, which makes me happy and content, so it's like a…" 

"Feedback loop?" Klaus finished for him.

He nodded, "Yeah, so it's not all bad all the time, I always feel the stronger emotions first and foremost, it takes some focus for the deeper seated ones, but no matter what, a little bit of negative emotions from you here and there is worth it."

Klaus raised his eyebrow, "I dunno Dave, I'm pretty messed up in the old noggin." 

"Then it's all the more reason why I can't leave you." He responded, his hand moving up to comb through Klaus' hair, scrunching a fistfull of it and garnering a gasp from him.

"Is that a challenge Katz?" Klaus asked, his own hand tightening in his hair and bringing him closer.

"It's a challenge I'll win.",He whispered, leaning up to where they were just a breath away from meeting lips. 

Klaus smirked, not yet closing the distance, a sappy comment on his tongue when a blue flash illuminated the room, startling them apart. 

"Of course they send me here when you two are post coitus." Five, in his young adult, well fitted suit glory, groused, rolling his eyes from the middle of Dave's living room. 

"Huh? How? Who?" Dave sat up, head flickering from Five to Klaus, desperate for an explanation. Five stepped forward, his hand outstretched for Dave to shake. He lifts his hand up to take it, but Klaus lowers it back down before he and Five can touch. 

"We jerked each other off." He says, not an ounce of shame on him. 

Five sneers, zapping himself into a nearby arm chair. "Disgusting, but thank you for the save. Now, as I was about to say, David, I'm Five Hargreeves, Klaus' brother, it's good to see you again." 

"We haven't met before though, right?" He looked to Klaus who shrugged his shoulders in response. 

"I've met you before, when I was a much, much younger man, but you are correct, in this particular point in time, this is the first that you are meeting me." Five reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a flask, unscrewing the cap and taking a generous swig. 

"Wait, so that means you're…." 

"From the future, spot on David, though you were much better with the upkeep last time." Five cuts in sarcastically, screwing the cap back on his flask and returning it to his coat pocket.-"but I didn't come all the way here just to meet you, mainly because I have already met you, but I digress. My original objective is this.", He pulls out an invitation from his other pocket and hands it over to him. 

"The Hargreeves annual BBQ." Dave reads out, chuckling at the way Klaus groans dramatically into his shoulder. 

"I forgot about that. God, Luther is so cringey! We have these stupid BBQ's every year like were some kind of campy 80's sitcom family and they always end with someone getting injured and at least one unintentional fire being set." Klaus dragged a hand over his face, looking entirely stressed just talking about it. Dave knew for a fact that he was very stressed just talking about it. He was genuinely interested though, but he didn't know if it would be worth the mental tax it would put on Klaus and subsequently himself. 

"And yet every year you still do it. Luther told me you haven't missed a single one and this year you're actually sober and even have a boyfriend to show off, he's going to have to meet the rest of the family at some point, why not at the BBQ?" Five stood up, a pleasant smile on his face and dark eyes that betrayed everything else about his tone. 

Klaus squinted, starring Five's false optimism head on, "You have valid points, but I know you're hiding an ulterior motive of some sort. I'm on to you little brother." 

"Klaus, I'm much, much older than you." Five smirked, taking a step back and blinking out of sight, leaving a stunned yet curious Dave and an annoyed Klaus looking on at the empty space a young man had once occupied. 

"So…. we're going right?" 

Klaus sighed, turning to Dave with a tired smile, "Honestly, I don't think we have a choice." 

Dave smiled back, nodding in agreement as a comfortable silence settled between them, Klaus quickly breaking it with a casual, "You ready for round two?" 

"I got handcuffs in my room." He offered, ears pink and heart beating out of his chest, his excitement only spurred further by Klaus shooting up off the couch and tripping over his own feet to get down the hall.

"First one to the bed gets to wear them!" 

_________________________  
END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So happy Im finally finished and can now put the rest of my focus on the follow up to this, I answered some questions I'v gotten about Dave's empathy and a little bit on his past, as well as some stuff I felt like needed returning to from other chapters, but I plan to expand on the rest in the follow up series in case it felt like some stuff was hung up in the air.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, I'm still revising a lot of what I already have, so I can't say I have much of a schedule for posting or even how many chapters there might be, but I can say the next chapter will be out before the end of this month. Let me know how I did, this is lagit the third fanfic I ever wrote and posted to AO3(I deleted my first and second cause I couldn't finish em)


End file.
